Palm Springs committee begrudgingly moves In-N-Out plans forward ⋆ The Palm Springs Post

Images included in a city staff report show before and after renderings of what a proposed In-N-Out might look like in South Palm Springs. Several of the projects design elements were the subject of debate Monday evening.

In the ongoing battle between In-N-Out’s strict corporate brand identity and Palm Springs’s equally strict commitment to cohesive design standards, it first seemed like Palm Springs might have eked out a small win on Monday as the California burger giant presented slightly stripped-down renderings for its proposed new location in the Smoke Tree Village shopping center.

The rendering was still immediately recognizable as an In-N-Out, much like the nearly 300 other locations across California (and growing number in other states). But the thick red trim was replaced with aluminum silver, the roof was flattened out with no slanted lines, and glass blocks in the windows were removed. The only remaining burst of red was on the brand’s logo and the shade umbrellas for outside dining.

But the members of the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) who reviewed the new renderings on Monday were less than pleased, taking issue with both the aesthetics of the building — the bright white color and an overall architectural style they said felt out of place — and with broader questions over whether the popular burger chain was respecting their input from previous meetings.

Committee members took turns decrying the building’s design, describing it as as “a sore thumb,” “not even close to what we would want,” as something that would “stand out, but not in a good way,” a project “people will snicker at,” and “something that belongs in San Dimas.”

During public comments, a few residents joined in, with Planning Commissioner David Murphy (speaking as a member of the public) calling the design “a Frankenstein monster designed by opposing committees.”

“I think there was an effort by the applicant to take a corporate idea, and that trumped the idea of Palm Springs,” said one committee member during the discussion.

Tracy Conrad, chief operating officer for Smoke Tree Ranch, described the project as an opportunity to revitalize the shopping center.

“Is it architecturally superlative?” Conrad asked. “I think everyone has heard that this esteemed panel doesn’t think so, and it’s not for us to argue that. It’s for us to say this is a development project that will lift the entire shopping center.”

The Palm Springs Planning Commission approved the In-N-Out back in July 2025 after three hours of discussion, sending the project forward to an architectural review phase that’s since dragged on for several months. Plans for an In-N-Out in Smoke Tree Village were first confirmed in January of last year.

*Additional images reviewed Monday evening that were included in a city staff report about a proposed In-N-Out in South Palm Springs.*

In July of this year, the Architectural Review Committee approved revised architectural plans for the In-N-Out, but only after adding a requirement that the applicant bring the design back for its sixth round of review before moving forward. The committee was technically limited at that meeting to either approving or denying the project, because state law limits the number of public hearings on a proposed development to five.

The committee added a sixth review as a workaround to that requirement, which led to Monday’s meeting, where city staff presented how In-N-Out has responded to a list of 18 other design conditions the committee placed on its approval.

Of those 18 items, staff estimated around eight were addressed and another 10 were either not addressed or partially addressed.

Peter Kulmaticki, a representative of In-N-Out, noted that “the ARC does not ultimately hold the pen when it comes to the architectural design,” but that “the project has evolved significantly since it was first submitted.”

“Today, I stand before you confident that we have achieved a truly custom design that not only allows In-N-Out Burger to maintain its identity, but also reflects the thoughtful input provided by the city of Palm Springs throughout the review process,” said Kulmaticki.

“Well, nobody won.”
— An Architectural Review Committee member following a 3-2 vote on a proposed In-N-Out hamburger restaurant in Palm Springs

Committee members seemed to disagree, but had limited options: they’d already exceeded the allowed number of meetings on the project, and were left with the options of denying the application entirely, approving it with conditions, or a simple approval. A denied project could be appealed and returned to the Planning Commission, and the City Council also reserves the right to call up an application for their consideration.

Ultimately, the committee voted 3-2 to approve the project, with the condition that In-N-Out completes the full list of 18 conditions from the previous meeting. Members Charles Elliott and Robert Dillon voted no.

“Well, nobody won,” one member was heard sighing into the mic as the vote concluded.

And the saga might not be over yet — one of the residents who commented against the project’s design asked if members of the public can appeal the approval. City staff confirmed that they can.