Planning Commission - Special Meeting

All right. Good evening everyone. This is the special meeting of the planning commission of the city of Desert Hot Springs for Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 at 6 PM. May we uh have a roll call, please? Commissioner Parker here. Commissioner Row present. Commissioner Wagstaff here. Vice Chair Lombardo. Chairman Indel present.

All right. Please uh rise for the pledge of allegiance.

And repeat after me. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. All right. Right now, um, we have time for public comments. These would be comments that are not related to today's agenda. Um, and if we have any speakers, please give your name and place of residence. Do we have any public comments today? I guess not. Okay. Then let's move on to our first and only hearing item, a resolution of the planning commission recommending that the city council of the city of Desert Hot Springs, California, adopt an addendum to the Desert Land Ventures Environmental Impact Report SC2017051070 ENV25-2. Um, and two, approve DHS Farer Road specific plan amendment SP24-2 amending the desert land venture specific plan in the city. Three, general plan amendment GPA24-1. Four, track map TM25-1. And five, design review DR24-4. And six, approve an ordinance amending chapter 17.210 2110 to amend the desert lands venture specific plan and develop the logistics center. Everybody got that? Okay. Um Patricia Viligomez, our planning manager, would you give us a staff report, please?

Yes. Thank you.

The project site is located north of the I 10 freeway, approximately 2,800 ft west of the intersection of Palm Drive and Varner Road, as shown here. Here are some site photos. Top left is looking west on Barner Road. The middle photo is looking southwest along the property line. And the top right photo is looking south from Barner Road. On April 17th, 2018, the city council approved their original project, Desert Land Ventures Specific Plan. The approval included the certification of the environmental impact report, a specific plan, general plan amendment, zoning, excuse me, zoning ordinance, and a vesting trackmap for the entitlements of a mixeduse cannabis development project. On September 26, 2024, the applicant Newland Capital submitted specific plan amendment, a general plan amendment and addendum to the certified environmental impact report, a tenative parcel map, and a design review application to amend the desert land venture specific plan within the city. The specific plan amendment would rename the desert land venture specific plan and will now be known as the DHS Warner Road specific plan as shown here. Here is the approved land use plan for the desert land ventures that consisted of two planning areas. Planning area one included approximately 1.9 million square ft of mixed commercial and industrial uses. Planning area 2 was proposed to be undeveloped and restricted to open space and conservation. The proposed DHS Barner Road specific plan amendment proposes to modify the specific plan to allow up to 1.5 million square ft of logistics space and adjust the development standards and guidelines to support the proposed changes. The specific plan area would be divided into three planning areas. Planning area 1A indicated in blue is 83.3 acres of

land and would accommodate a range of industrial uses. Planning area 1B shown here in yellow on the north side of Varnner Road encompasses 11.6 acres of land and would be designated from for storm water control that would allow for the development of drainage, flood control channels and basins that will serve the industrial development. Planning area 2 shown here in the dark green encompasses 28.5 acres and would be designated to open space conservation land use district. Per table 5-1 of the DHS Barner Road specific plan, a design review application is required for the development of a proposed warehouse and distribution within planning area 1A. The project proposes a 1,160,989 ft building that includes 28,800 ft for office use on an 83.3 acre site. Two access points will be provided, a primary and a secondary. The primary access points will be along Varner Road and a secondary access would be off West Drive. Interstate 10 would provide regional access to the project site via the Palm Drive exit and local access would be via Varner Road. A breakdown of the parking requirements is as follows. The total square footage of the proposed warehouse totals 1,160,989 ft. that includes 28,800 ft of office space. Therefore, a total of 447 spaces is required and the project has provided 661 spaces exceeding the minimum. Per the 2025 building code, 20% of the parking spaces shall be dedicated to EV chargers in which 132 spaces of the 661 will be EV charging. The site also provides 721 parking stalls for semi-truckss and 220 dock spaces for loading and unloading.

The journal plan amendment application proposes to remove Mahalo Road from the mobility and infrastructure elements roadway plan. Mahalo Road located adjacent to a high-pressure gas line would be a difficult road to build out as a current as currently planned. It would slice through many of the parcels to the east at odd angles, making them difficult to develop. A better solution would be to establish a grid network for the area between Palm Drive and West Drive that follows property lines. The removal of Mahalo Road would accommodate the proposed project and the surrounding areas. Here are some of the design inspirations that include the blue glass windows, the canopy inspiration with a vertical concrete and the natural color tones from the surrounding desert. The building will be designed with a concrete tiltup wall system and a steel frame structural grid allowing for large open interior spans to maximize flexible storage space. A rectangular design will allow for loading and unloading on opposite sides of the buildings to blend into the desert surroundings. The exterior will be painted in neutral tones such as light beige, whites, and grays. To break up the horizontal massing, vertical striping will be used intermittently. The entry doors will have a canopy installed to shade the entries, and the windows will have a dual glaze. Walls and fences will be constructed to protect from wind and sand, provide screening of certain uses and areas, and would increase safety and security. Per section 6.20 of the DHS Barner Road specific plan design guidelines and standards, all walls and fences will need to minimize the visual impact while maximizing the function. As shown here, a 10-ft screen wall is proposed and will be painted to match the building and incorporate a visual element to break up the expanse.

Shown here in blue indicates the screening for the truck base which is on the south side of the building fronting the I 10 freeway. Here are some perspective views. The top is a north northeast view from the I10 freeway and the bottom is a northwest view from the I10 freeway. A proposed tenative parcel map is for the subdivision to create four parcels for industrial development, flood control facilities, and open space areas as shown here. The parcel map will also establish the preliminary design for the roadway improvements, utilities, flood control facilities, and rightway dedication and easements. Parcel one is the is proposed to be the largest at 83.3 acres for the industrial warehouse. Landscaping plants, materials, and irrigation systems will be installed by the project developer and maintained in accordance with the specific plan amendment. Landscaping will be along the perimeter of the site and on all sides as well as in the parking areas. A contemporary desert theme is created through the use of native and desert friendly species planted in masses of larger shrubs and trees. Shown here is the landscape inspirations that include msquy trees, ocatillos, desert willows, and fairy duster. Fronted streets and internal driveways within the specific plan area will provide a cohesive landscape through the use of the contemporary desert theme. An addendum was prepared to analyze potential impacts of the proposed project and any amendments and associated applications as compared to those previously identified in the 2018 Desertland Ventures project EIR. Based on the evaluation of information provided, no new significant impacts would occur, nor would there be any substantial increase in the severity of any previously identified adverse

environmental impacts. Therefore, an EI addendum is appropriate document to comply with the SEO requirements for the proposed project. And with that, this is a resolution of the planning commission recommending that the city council of the city of Desert Hot Springs, California. One, adopt an addendum to the environmental impact report number 25-2. Approve the DHS Warner Road specific plan amendment number 24-2. Approve a general plan amendment number 24-1. Approve trackmap number 25-1. Approve design review number 24-4. Approve an ordinance amending chapter 17.210. An application to amend the desert land venture specific plan and the development of a logistics center for APN 6691501 and 002 subject to the conditions of approvals and findings. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Um, do we have any questions from the commission of city staff? Anybody have any questions? No. I just have one. Um, as most many of us know, the city is planning to revitalize and make improvements to Palm Drive going down south in that direction. Will the improvements to Barner Road, specifically the new turning lanes, for instance, be made at the same time the improvements to Palm Drive in general are made or will the you know construction drag on for a long time? Yeah, the um Tim Jonison, consultant, city engineer. Um the the plan is for Palm Drive actually that's going to be one of the next projects to go out South Palm um to be bid. The I don't know at

this point if we have the dual lefts like we're talking about um incorporated into the design of that. I'd have to get back to the planning commission on that. But um yeah, that project is is moving forward and should be out for out for bid shortly. Right. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else have questions for All right. Let's open the public hearing and take uh testimony from the applicant. Does the applicant want to speak? Come on up. Please introduce yourself and push the button there. Please. It's on. It's on.

Hi, my name is uh Tom Donahghue uh with Newand Capital Group. Uh we're extremely excited to be in Desert Hot Springs. Uh I just wanted to come up and say briefly that uh the staff here and the city um has been amazing to work with. Um the the the work done by Patricia and Travis and Tim and almost anybody that even answers the phone that I've run into has been uh top class and uh you know as we get into this project you're going to see a lot of uh jurisdictional approvals and um between Travis and Patricia and Tim um they really worked with the conservation areas to really make sure that this fit exactly what the city's needs were. Um, sometimes putting me through the ringer, but uh it's it's been it's been uh very fulfilling to know that uh you know the city is is is well served by the staff here. So, just wanted to throw that out there. And if you guys had any uh questions for me, I'm available. And I also have our architect, civil engineer, and uh environmental consultant on standby for you.

All right. Does anyone have questions for the applicant? No. Um I I just have just a couple little things. Um there's no possibility of this structure being used as a data center. Uh no, I do not believe so. Okay. That's the the little bit of comments that I've seen online. People were asking that question. So, and no cannabis either. No cannabis either.

We're we're long-term holders of the building and so any cannabis or cultivation brings humidity. Um and those tear down the building. So, this will be this will be distribution, warehouse, fulfillment, something along those lines of logistics based. Okay. Um, and what's your latest estimated completion date for the whole project?

Uh, we think that there's uh somewhere between a 15 and 18 month uh construction schedule and uh we're hoping to kick construction drawings off shortly after city council. So that'd be 3 months of design work and I call it 15 to 18 months. So, uh, December 27 occupancy. That's why I asked. It seemed a little optimistic, but uh, yeah,

we we start optimistically and but this this building um has a tenant that is ready to um, kick off the investment into the building. Um, they're excited about moving in right off the 10 freeway and Palm Drive. Um so um this this special meeting tonight has um helped with that schedule and um Lord willing we can we can get them moved in.

Are you willing to say who the tenant would be? Uh yes. Um we have um done three uh national projects with Rialto Distribution uh previously. Um and they are a third party logistics company and they will uh use this building in the same vein that they have their other million square footers. So they uh they focus on cubic volume which uh they rack it to the ceiling. Um and then they have somewhere between 500 and 800 employees um working around year round.

Do how many u jobs for residents of Desert Hot Springs are you thinking may come out of this? Do you know?

Uh they just completed a uh building in Hemtt um 880,000 square feet and I'm uh told that that is uh somewhere around 25 to 30% local residents. Um, if you have residents that are currently driving away from your city and getting jobs in Ontario, Fontana, Rialto at warehouses, they are going to be the first ones with applications in hand here. Um, and this tenant loves hiring local because they're already trained by other third-party logistics outside and it keeps them it keeps them here. Uh, keeps them uh more dedicated as well. Uh, they they're big on local hiring. They did a uh we did a uh job fair um in the last city that we went to and had amazing turnout. Uhhuh. Very good. Thank you.

Any other questions? Okay, then. Um, you may sit down. Thank you very much. Um, let's uh Does We have one uh person, Ron Goldman. Would you like to speak, please? Are you in favor? Opposed or neutral? You're opposed. Okay.

Uh, unfortunately, I just found out about this less than an hour ago, which is uh concerns me that I I see social media and I've seen nothing about this project, and it's just huge. I spend part of my time uh in in the LA area. And so driving out here the past 15 years or more that I've lived here, I've seen uh warehouses and and housing developments just like steamrolling closer and closer and and now it's right at my front door here. I'm I'm just a couple of miles from the project. And um uh also I've there was a development there I found also recently found out about on Mountain View uh a small housing development where they want to change the zoning and do various things. So in my area, I went around and got uh signatures about 60 signatures from residents which are also nearby this development who are not in favor of the development. So it's not just me uh opposed to this. I'm sure there's plenty of other people. And um uh what I found when I was getting the working on this other project was that uh overall Desert Hot Springs is 30 square miles or more of it goes way out to 62 freeway uh and then uh east all the way down to the 10 freeway. And in my driving around, uh, the the amount of area that's developed is tiny. And, uh,

it's just patchwork all over the place. And right now it seems like warehouses and uh uh marijuana places are all being put in a certain area around Indian Indian Canyon which has been widened and uh uh utilities put in in that area. But even there there's one Amazon warehouse. There's still going to be another one here. And it seems like if you're going to build a warehouse, don't do what Desert Hot Springs has been doing where they have a uh a place out near the 62 freeway. They have one way five, six, seven miles away somewhere else. If you're going to build the warehouses, put them in one area. Make it I mean, you've already developed the road the roads there. Put them in one area. Why uh why put it way over here where there's nothing? as as well as the fact that I know they were speaking about uh left turn lanes or uh turn signals and local people working, but the fact is when you drive into Palm Springs in the morning, the the traffic on Palm Drive is just backed up for a mile or more, solid traffic. Just when I was driving here tonight coming back, it's solid cars coming all the way back. all these trucks, all these vehicles. I don't know where they what they expect is going to happen, but it's just going to be chaotic there on the freeway. And no one's going to you're going to be lined up on the freeway just to get off. It'll be like the the mall in cabazon if if you have more. And I don't think that part has been planned out at all. So, I'm the the uh unlike our previous speaker, I'm not the uh everything's wonderful. I think everything is sort of terrible and I I

wish other people had known and they I could have some support here, but that's what I think. And I and I wonder is is any of the is any of this public knowledge? I just read about it and it's, you know, there's no local newspaper or maybe there's a a website for the city hall, but I haven't seen anything. And I just wonder if people even know about this because I just found out about I I'm sort of up on most things going on here. Has it been publicized or do people know?

Pardon? We can't respond. You can't respond to to our comments like this. We don't respond. Well, so m Mr. Chair, members of the commission, if I may, uh this is a public hearing, so you can definitely uh provide comments. Um in the staff report though, we do talk about noticing and what happened and uh our our uh requirements that we noticed and our compliance with all requirements for noticing. Mhm. So, the project has been noticed and pardon me. It has been noticed. Oh, okay. All right. Okay. Well, thanks.

Right. Thank you. Um, do we have any other comments, public comments in favor of, against, or neutral? Uh, the applicant uh has the opportunity to respond to these comments if you're interested. Do you want to? No. Okay. All right, then let's close the public hearing and move on to planning commission discussion and questions of staff. Do we have any discussion on our end? Chris,

no. Okay. Um then would someone like to make a motion and who if depending on what motion you are please read it all back whoever does. I motion to adopt a resolution of the planning commission recommending that the city council of the city of Desert Hot Springs, California one adopt an addendum to the environmental impact report ENV25-2. Two, approve DHS Varna Road specific plan amendment SP24-2 amending the desert land venture specific plan in the city. Three, general plan amendment GPA 24-1. Four, track map TM25-1. Five, design review DR 24-4. And six, approve an ordinance amending chapter 17.210, an application to amend the Desert Land Ventures specific plan and develop a logistics center.

All right. Do we have a second? I'll say again. All right, we have a second. May we have a vote, please? 27.

Motion passes unanimously. All right. Congratulations and welcome All right. Um, anything else from staff before we close? All right, then. Uh, the meeting is adjourned.