Community Voices: Thanks to Palm Springs for Protecting Two Key Parcels of Little Tuscany-Area Land From Development

The Palm Springs City Council earlier this month approved a limited update to the General Plan that will preserve two parcels adjacent to the Little Tuscany Neighborhood as open space in perpetuity.

The two parcels of land, previously owned by Grit Development (née Wessman Development), were conveyed to the city as part of a settlement in a lawsuit a few years ago. These parcels are currently known as Boulders and Crescendo, as they were the names chosen by the developer for the housing they intended to build there.

These parcels have been contentious for about 20 years, as the developer’s vision for them was initially for rather dense housing. For many years, my neighbors and I resisted the developer’s plans, successfully resulting in reductions to the planned densities to a more acceptable level. We were always cognizant of the fact that property owners have the right to develop land in ways that are consistent with the city’s General Plan and zoning; we simply pushed back to urge the city and the developer to produce a better housing product with less density that was more consistent with the neighborhood, which is on the west side of Palm Canyon Drive, and north of Vista Chino.

An unrelated lawsuit between the city and Grit Development regarding “the new downtown” was resolved, and in 2019, these (and other) parcels were conveyed to the city as part of the settlement. At that time, City Council members indicated that they were willing to designate this land as open space, but nothing was done to achieve that. As time passed, we became concerned that those supportive councilmembers could leave office, and that with no official protection, a future council could easily sell off the parcels to another developer.

In recent years, the Little Tuscany Neighborhood Organization, Oswit Land Trust, myself and others lobbied the cty to make this designation official. (I am a founder of the Little Tuscany Neighborhood Organization, which was created in 2004 and pre-dates ONE-PS, though I no longer have an official role with the organization.)

To update the General Plan and designate these parcels as open space, while being in compliance with the state of California’s “Housing Element,” the city was required to find other land to “absorb” the housing density these parcels would have ultimately had. The city accomplished this by designating another parcel acquired in the same settlement as high-density residential. That land is on Gene Autry Trail north of Mission Drive. It was stated that there would be no net loss of housing by designating the Little Tuscany parcels as open space.

I appreciate the work of District 2 Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein, who passionately advocated for this designation, and Director of Planning Chris Hadwin, who understood the situation and helped to make this happen.

To see the video of the City Council meeting and the discussion, click here. The meeting-agenda packet includes detailed information on the General Plan update. This is a big win for the environment, as these parcels provide habitat for many plant and animal species. A 2021 letter from the Oswit Land Trust attached to the agenda explains this.

Now I suggest that we drop the names “Boulders” and “Crescendo” in favor of something more fitting, such as “Pedro” and “Chino.”

Tim O’Bayley is a San Francisco native who re-located to Palm Springs in 1997. He launched O’Bayley Communications in February 2004 and serves as CEO and creative director. He is proud of the work his team does for clients such as AAP-Food Samaritans, Modernism Week, Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, Braille Institute, Flooring Innovations and H3K Home+Design, among others. Prior to working in communications, he developed his analytical, organizational, writing and financial skills working in the financial services industry.