Short-term vacation rentals, the next steps for a delayed major hotel project, and branding for the airport are all topics being discussed in the city this week.
The news: The City Council, Planning Commission, and representatives from Palm Springs International Airport all plan to hold public meetings that you can attend or tune into this week, discussing multiple topics that have recently piqued public interest.
First up: On Wednesday at 11 a.m., officials from the airport and its marketing consultant, Aviatrix Communications, will be on hand via Zoom to give a presentation. After that, members of the public will have the opportunity to provide public comments and will be given a link to provide written feedback.
- Last month, Local designers and others took to social media, mounting a campaign to push back on new branding for the airport that city staff recommended. They succeeded in getting the city to step back and reconsider, setting up Wednesday’s meeting and another one on Oct. 6.
- The branding discussion led to other conversations about issues at the airport, including operational and architectural issues.
And then: On Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., the city’s Planning Commission will once again take up the topic of the Dream Hotel, picking up where it left off at a meeting earlier this month.
- On Sept. 14, the Commission elected to wait before making a final decision on a proposal from the hotel’s developers to add more condominiums, and more height, to the project, adding more height. Commissioners sided with neighbors who feared their views would be “obliterated.”
- Plans for the project at 450 South Calle Alvarado have shifted over the years, and development has come in fits and spurts, frustrating both neighbors and city officials.
- Developers held a meeting with neighbors in early August to assure all parties they are on track to open in late 2024 or early 2025.
Finally: The City Council plans to discuss recommendations from a citizen workgroup that would see short-term vacation rental permits in Palm Springs capped at 2,500 (there are roughly 2,400 of them currently) and limited to 10% of any one neighborhood’s housing stock. The issue will come up as part of a lengthy agenda at its meeting Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
- Vacation rentals, such as those available on Airbnb and other sites, are a consistent source of controversy in the city, but voters rejected a ban on them in 2018.
- The workgroup was formed to attempt to strike a balance between the needs of visitors, residents, owners of the rentals, and the revenue benefits the city receives.
But wait: A handful of other city commissions are meeting this week. You can find information about those meetings, including agendas and participation instructions, at the city website here.
