A downtown building that originally housed the city’s Greyhound bus station is slated to become a retail cannabis shop, and a popular mural appears to be going away when that happens.
City planners said Thursday that a developer is in the process of renovating the building at 311 N. Indian Canyon Dr. after a cannabis dispensary was approved for that location. The renovation includes complete replacement of the interior and exterior of the 61-year-old structure, plus resurfacing of the parking lot, new landscaping, and lighting.
Plans on file show a glass storefront on the east side of the building, currently underneath plywood, will be part of the renovation. When the plywood comes down, a mural honoring George Floyd painted on the plywood will be removed. The mural will be relocated elsewhere in the city, but it is not known where at this time. The artwork, by artist Mister Alek, appeared in June 2020 and was created in response to Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Following the officer’s murder conviction in April, a vigil was held at the site of the mural.
The building was designed by modernist designer Howard Lapham and began its life as a bus station. It most recently housed Woody’s Burgers. Documents show the building will next house Hyperwolf, a marijuana delivery service with dozens of locations in Southern California.
Once open, the dispensary will have plenty of competition. There are nearly a dozen retail marijuana license holders in a three-mile stretch of Palm Canyon Drive, one block to the west of Indian Canyon. State records show 29 active retail cannabis licenses in Palm Springs.
