Frustrations mount over ongoing issues with Town & Country Center maintenance

Frustration over prolonged maintenance issues at the Town & Country Center was aired during the most recent meeting of the city’s Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB). While an official said the city is doing what it can to work with the owner, the negotiations are complex.

Designed in 1948 by architects Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones, the Town & Country Center has been at the heart of a decades-long preservation battle. Once a prime example of mid-century modern architecture, the complex faced years of neglect and deterioration. A partial demolition was planned at one point, stirring debate over its future.

Efforts to preserve it began in earnest in the early 2000s, and persistence from preservation groups, including the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, led to its eligibility for state and national historic registers by 2015 and official Class 1 Historic Site designation in 2016. 

In recent years, there have been gradual improvements to the site, including updates to buildings that front Palm Canyon Drive. However, the portion fronting Indian Canyon Drive remains in a state of disrepair.

The lack of progress and upkeep at the site were discussed during the Oct. 5 HSPB meeting. Board Member Peter Moruzzi, a historian and preservationist who founded the Palm Springs Modern Committee, questioned city staff about the status of efforts to address disrepair at the historic property.

“I don’t recall any other issue that’s been raised about maintenance and disrepair that has taken this long, even with the Orchid Tree property,” Moruzzi said, referring to another property in disrepair at the intersection of West Baristo and South Belardo roads. “That’s been on the radar forever.”

Planning Director Christopher Hadwin acknowledged the complex situation at the property, noting that negotiations with the property owner – Grit Development – and coordination between city departments are ongoing.

“Part of it is just ongoing negotiation with the property owner, and part of it is just internal city functions,” Hadwin said. “The issue of compliance and code enforcement rests with a different department than planning.”

Hadwin stated that the city’s code enforcement department is aware of the concerns and continues to work with Grit. However, due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, he provided limited details about specific compliance efforts.

“We are aware that there are concerns and issues with the maintenance of the Town and Country Center, and we continue to work with both our city departments and with the property owner to resolve those,” Hadwin said.

The planning director noted that the situation is unusual compared to other maintenance cases the city has handled. He cited the property’s mixed occupancy status as a complicating factor.

Moruzzi suggested the prolonged maintenance issues may expose gaps or nuances in the city’s property maintenance codes. He expressed concern that the situation has dragged on longer than other high-profile cases of property disrepair in Palm Springs.

“This is very odd, and it does disturb me tremendously because there are some weird nuances in the code that are sort of at play here,” Moruzzi said.

City officials are attempting to balance code enforcement with property owner negotiations to resolve the maintenance problems. Hadwin assured the board that staff continues to work on the issue despite the lack of visible progress.

“We have been in communication with the property owner, and we are working to resolve some of the issues that have been raised, certainly,” Hadwin said.

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