Planning Palm Desert

UPDATE - August 2024

This page will be updated to focus on providing a centralized location for planning matters in Palm Desert including:

• Current Development Projects
• Downtown Objective Design Standards
• Unified Development Code
• General Plan Mobility Element Update
• Historic Preservation Updates

North Palm Desert is an area of great neighborhoods and as the city grows, even greater potential. The City of Palm Desert is committed to making this quickly expanding area a dynamic, safe, and enjoyable location for residents and visitors alike. Using the tools on this website, share your ideas, ask questions, and let the employees at City Hall know how we can best support your vision for this region.

Recent Community Meetings

On Thursday, September 1, 2022, the City of Palm Desert's Planning Division held a community meeting about a proposed development at the southwest corner of the Portola and Frank Sinatra intersection. The hybrid meeting included people in-person and those who attended by Zoom. A recording of the meeting can be viewed below and if you have any questions regarding this development, please contact our Planning team at planning@palmdesert.gov.

On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, the City of Palm Desert hosted a Community Meeting to discuss development in North Palm Desert. Area residents and all interested community members were welcomed to join Mayor Harnik, City staff, and Councilmember Kathleen Kelly to hear updates and ask questions about all new, pending, and proposed projects in North Palm Desert. A recording of this meeting can be viewed below.

Development in North Palm Desert: University Park Neighborhood Specific Plan

The development of a four-year University campus in Palm Desert is an enormous economic, educational, and social opportunity for the City and the entire Coachella Valley. As such, the City adopted the University Neighborhood Specific Plan ("UNSP") to establish land-uses, a land-use pattern, and design guidelines that capitalize and integrate the University campuses to the surrounding areas of the City. The UNSP details a new vision for development in proximity to the California State University San Bernardino and University of California Riverside campuses that covers 400+ acres of mostly undeveloped land and provides guidelines for a mixed-use development inclusive of business opportunities, housing choices for up to 2,700 housing units, and open space. The UNSP also provides details to guide the form and context of future development: with a strong emphasis on pedestrian connectivity, building form, and neighborhood character.

In 2018, the City's Planning Commission approved plans to subdivide 170+ acres within the UNSP to accommodate 1,100 housing units. The plans include a mix of housing options and lot sizes including: multi-family housing, alley-loaded housing units, duplexes, townhomes, and detached housing. An extensive roadway and open space network are also provided to comply with the intent of the UNSP. Construction for this project is anticipated to begin in Summer 2019.

University Park documents and photos can be viewed on the right margin of this page.