Mayor, others urging action on tribal warehouse project before Monday deadline

A proposed 2.85-million-square-foot warehouse and logistics complex on tribal land near Interstate 10 and Highway 111 sparked urgent public action over the weekend after Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte and a local conservation group encouraged residents to contact the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians before the tribe’s public-comment period closes Monday.

The tribe has full decision-making authority over the project because the 217-acre site is held in trust. The Palm Springs City Council does not have the authority to approve or deny the development, though the council is scheduled to review a nonbinding conformity report Wednesday.

The project was first made public by the tribe in October and listed on its website. It came to the attention of some public officials and many members of the community on Friday after it appeared on the City Council agenda that was released late Thursday and that The Post reported on early Friday morning.

In an email to residents Saturday, deHarte said he only learned of the proposal the previous day and stressed that “the City Council is not pushing this item through.” He urged residents to submit written comments directly to the tribe by a Monday deadline, calling it “the most critical action you can take right now.”

“I have already asked the city manager to request that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians host a community meeting,” deHarte wrote. “I’ve also asked about pulling the item from the December 10th Council agenda, but the most critical action you can take [right now] is submitting your formal comments.”

The project, known as the Desert Mountain View Business Park, would include four industrial buildings totaling up to 2.85 million square feet with truck bays, parking areas, and new roadway and stormwater infrastructure.

The tribe’s Draft Tribal Environmental Impact Statement, released in October, found that operational air emissions would exceed regional thresholds and result in a “significant and unavoidable” impact.

Oswit Land Trust launched its own outreach campaign and submitted a formal comment letter urging the tribe to select the “no project” alternative. The organization cited air-quality impacts, wildlife-corridor disruption, water-demand concerns, and the project’s location within the valley’s fluvial sand-transport system as reasons for opposing the development.

Oswit’s letter noted that many residents — including city officials — were unaware of a Dec. 1 tribal meeting about the proposal and asked the tribe to host an additional public session.

Residents may submit formal written comments on the project by Monday to the tribe’s associate planner, Mark Tristan, via the email mtristan@aguacaliente-nsn.gov. The tribe will consider submitted comments as part of the review process for the Draft Tribal Environmental Impact Statement.

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