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Council approves North Palm Desert Community Park concept; votes to name it for longtime city attorney
Summary
Palm Desert City Council approved the final concept plan for the North Palm Desert Community Park and, after separate votes, approved the concept plan unanimously and approved naming the park 'Dave Erwin Park' with 3 yes, 1 no and 1 abstention.
The Palm Desert City Council approved a final conceptual design for the North Palm Desert Community Park and separately approved naming the new park Dave Erwin Park at its April 24 meeting.
City staff presented the park concept and naming recommendation. Sean Muir, community services manager, told the council the Parks and Recreation Committee and a park-naming subcommittee recommended the name and the design. Gianno Fioli, InterWest, described the final concept plan changes, including two points of vehicular access, parking closer to amenities, relocated playground and splash pad, a potential disc-golf course, pollinator garden, fitness equipment, bocce courts (with dual use for corn hole), a community garden, a “ninja” agility course, and two restrooms. Fioli said the design keeps a required 75-foot landscape buffer along Dinah Shore and adds prefabricated shade structures near courts to provide immediate shade.
The council first voted to approve the conceptual plan. The motion to approve the concept plan passed 5–0.
Council discussion on the park name was longer. Muir said a park‑naming subcommittee had considered multiple categories and names and forwarded a recommendation for Dave Erwin, who served as the city’s first city attorney and represented Palm Desert for roughly four decades. Supporters at the dais described Erwin’s long service and behind‑the‑scenes contributions; one member of the public urged the council to consider naming the park for a philanthropic community leader instead. Council members also raised the subjectivity of naming public facilities but noted they were deferring to the subcommittee’s process.
The council then took the separate vote on the park name. The motion to approve the name "Dave Erwin Park" carried with a recorded tally of three yes, one no and one abstention.
No changes to the approved concept plan were made during the council vote. City staff said that if the concept plan approval is followed by the usual design and environmental review steps, construction could be expected to begin in roughly a year.
