Planning Commission approves In-N-Out with conditions; architectural review among next steps

The Palm Springs Planning Commission approved In-N-Out Burger’s proposal for a new restaurant on East Palm Canyon Drive Tuesday night, but attached sweeping conditions requiring some architectural changes and numerous other improvements before the project can proceed.

The 7-0 vote came after about three hours of discussion focusing on traffic safety, architectural compatibility, and resident concerns about the 3,886-square-foot restaurant planned for the former Bank of America site in the Smoke Tree Village shopping center at 1801 East Palm Canyon Drive.

The approval sends the project to a joint subcommittee of the Planning Commission and Architectural Review Committee with instructions for a “complete redesign of the building architecture to comply with the community design and land use elements of the general plan,” according to the motion passed by commissioners.

Commissioners agreed the current plans of the building don’t reflect Palm Springs, and hoped future designs better incorporate the unique character of Palm Springs and the surrounding buildings.

Commissioner Robert Rotman criticized the current design as one that’s meant to be viewed when drivers are going 80 miles per hour down a freeway rather than fitting the “much more pedestrian, slower scale” urban environment. “The building looks bulky and very heavy,” Rotman said, citing concerns about the architectural details and color scheme.

Peter Kulmaticki, In-N-Out’s development manager, acknowledged the company’s willingness to work with city officials on architectural changes, though he offered no guarantees. “We will do what we can to look at the architecture and work through that process,” Kulmaticki told commissioners.

In order to address concerns of some residents and the commissioners, the extensive conditions of approval also require a reduction in overparking and enhanced safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists, including improved crosswalk markings and potential signals at the multi-use pathway that will replace the existing frontage road. 

Though some residents expressed concerns about traffic, city staff, commissioners, and engineers said existing traffic studies and analysis done by the applicant were sufficient for approval.

Tracy Conrad, representing Smoke Tree Ranch, which owns the underlying land, defended the project as necessary revitalization.

“We need a vibrant and productive shopping center,” Conrad said. “The decrepit and empty buildings along Palm Canyon are crime hot spots.”

The approval includes requirements for enhanced drive-through screening using a combination of walls, landscaping and berming, particularly at the northeast corner where vehicle headlights could create conflicts. Commissioners also mandated safety improvements to the “pork chop” entrance design and rehabilitation of the private drive connecting to Smoke Tree Lane.

Additional conditions address tree coverage, requiring consideration of 36-inch box trees instead of smaller specimens and wider tree wells to ensure long-term survival in the desert climate. 

If the subcommittee approves the redesigned plans, the project would proceed to the full Architectural Review Committee for final design approval before construction can begin. No timeline was provided for the subcommittee meetings or when In-N-Out might return with a revised plan.

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