Proposed 98-home development in southern Palm Springs faces opposition over wildlife concerns

A proposal to build 98 single-family homes on a 22-acre site in south Palm Springs is drawing early pushback from nearby residents who say the land serves as an important wildlife corridor and should remain undeveloped.

The application, submitted under the state’s SB 330 housing law, was delivered to City Hall on Oct. 20. Documents show the project would be built at 770 South La Mirada Road and on an adjacent vacant parcel east of La Mirada.

The plan calls for four planning areas with homes ranging from 2,083 to 3,000 square feet, along with internal roadways, grading and rock removal, and demolition of one existing vacant home on the site. Sixteen of the proposed units would be designated as affordable.

The developer is seeking several waivers allowed under the SB 330 rules, including reduced lot sizes, setbacks and height limits. The law is designed to streamline housing development and combat the state’s housing shortage by removing regulatory barriers.

Property owner Kenneth Jenkins of the Hinsvark Family Trust authorized developer Steve Sheldon of Palm Springs Community Partners LLC to file the entitlements in late September. The full SB 330 package was finalized Oct. 16 and submitted four days later, triggering the state’s vesting provisions and a 180-day window for filing all subsequent applications.

Since the application became public, a neighborhood group calling itself Friends of the Tahquitz Wildlife Corridor has formed to oppose the project. Members say the desert parcel borders a long-used path for native species, including bighorn sheep, and warn that new roads and construction activity could disrupt habitat.

“It’s well documented that Madelyn Hinsvark intentionally preserved her 22-acre parcel as a sanctuary for wildlife,” group member Elizabeth Matzner said in a statement sent to The Post Monday evening. “The only access would require plowing a road along the wash, disrupting a vital corridor where generations of animals have found refuge.”

The group says it is not opposed to housing generally but argues the location is unsuitable for development. Concerns identified by members include wildlife movement, wildfire risk, traffic circulation and water supply conditions in the surrounding neighborhood.

Oswit Land Trust, a nonprofit known for previous conservation campaigns in Palm Springs, has also voiced support for the residents’ effort. Board member Robert McCann said the proposed subdivision represents “another example of outside business interests” attempting large-scale development in sensitive foothill areas.

City officials have not yet scheduled public hearings on the proposal. In an email Tuesday, Planning Director Chris Hadwin said the development is currently in the pre-application phase, and his staff is awaiting additional information from the applicant before the city can begin its formal review.

“At this early state, it is too soon to determine the timing of any public meeting or consideration by the city’s decision-making bodies,” Hadwin said. The project would ultimately require review by the Planning Commission and a decision by the City Council.

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