Palm Springs council adopts limited general plan update; designates two sites for housing and two parcels as open space

The Palm Springs City Council approved a limited update to the city’s general plan on Jan. 9, adopting revisions to the land use, circulation and safety elements, certifying an addendum to the 2007 environmental impact review and approving two site redesignations meant to create housing capacity.

“This revised plan will serve as the city's guiding policy with specific goals and actions that will help us achieve our shared vision on how we grow and develop into 2040 and beyond,” Planning Director Chris Hadwin told the council at the start of the hearing.

Why it matters: The council approved a focused update—land use, circulation and safety—that the city has been working on since 2019. The update incorporates the housing element certified by the state, recalibrates land use designations to align with the housing element and integrates state safety requirements including a climate‑vulnerability assessment.

Key actions: - The council adopted the addendum to the 2007 EIR concluding the limited update would not create new significant environmental impacts. - The United Methodist Church site on East Alejo Road was redesignated from medium‑density residential to high‑density residential to enable a developer to pursue senior affordable housing; staff indicated the developer is considering roughly 70 units. - A city‑owned 5‑acre parcel on the east side of Gene Autry (behind the Springs Shopping Center) was redesignated from industrial to high‑density residential; staff estimated capacity there at roughly 100–150 units. - Council directed that two city‑owned properties — referred to in the meeting as “Boulders” and “Crescendo” — be designated as open space; councilmembers said those properties are topographically constrained and difficult to develop (one council member cited existing boulders and hillside terrain).

Process and votes: The planning commission had recommended approval following a public hearing on Sept. 11, 2024; the sustainability commission and state reviewers also completed required reviews of the safety element. The council motion to adopt the updated elements, certify the addendum and effect the three site changes passed (motion carried; recorded outcome: approved).

Public comment and follow‑up: Speakers during the public hearing praised the outreach but urged staff to correct and expand trail designations in the circulation figures; a longtime resident urged that existing equestrian trails be shown on the plan’s trail map. Councilmembers requested follow‑up cleanup edits to the document and staff said other code updates (including a comprehensive zoning code rewrite) will follow and be coordinated with this plan.

What’s next: With the plan elements adopted, city staff said attention will shift to the zoning code update that implements the general plan policies and to the specific entitlements needed to carry out housing projects on the redesignated sites.