Madison Point Phase 1 proposed for Highway 111: Starbucks drive‑through, car wash and EV charging hub included

The Indio Planning Commission on Oct. 22 received a study‑session presentation on the Madison Point Phase 1 mixed‑use project, a 20.27‑acre proposal by Schmidt Desert Investments located at the southwest corner of Highway 111 and Madison Street in Indio. Staff said the Phase 1 proposal includes four retail pads — a 2,400‑square‑foot Starbucks with a drive‑through, a 3,600‑square‑foot Quick Quack car wash, a 5,500‑square‑foot multi‑tenant retail building and an L3 Energy EV fast‑charging station paired with a 3,000‑square‑foot marketplace — and a tentative tract map to subdivide the site into eight lots.

The presentation, delivered by Gustavo Gomez, Principal Planner with the Community Development Department, placed the project within the Highway 111 Corridor Specific Plan and described Phase 1 as a near‑term, automobile‑oriented set of uses allowed to proceed through a conditional use permit mechanism in subarea 8 of the Specific Plan. Gomez said the commission’s review at this meeting is a consultation and that the planning commission will forward a recommendation to the City Council for any limited land uses that require council approval.

Why it matters: The project is presented as the first major development to come forward under the Highway 111 Specific Plan’s goal of transforming the corridor from a highway commercial strip into a pedestrian‑oriented, mixed‑use gateway. The…