Victor Gomez, administrative analyst in the city manager’s office, presented the Cathedral City Community Center feasibility study to the Parks and Community Events Commission, summarizing public engagement, candidate sites and financial tradeoffs on the project.

The study, which is part of the city’s five-year strategic plan, anticipates that Measure W — approved in November 2024 — will generate approximately $5,000,000 annually beginning in April 2025; staff said a portion of those funds could support a new community center. "This past November 2024, measure w was approved. This will generate approximately $5,000,000 annually for city services per year starting this past April 2025," Gomez said.

Why it matters: staff told commissioners the amount of capital the city can responsibly borrow under current market conditions is limited. Gomez said a 20-year debt schedule could generate roughly $13,000,000 in capital, which for a city-owned retrofit might yield about 10,000–14,000 square feet — significantly smaller than the 20,000–45,000 square feet typical for full-service community and recreation centers. "If you look at what that $13,000,000 in capital...construction plus renovation at a City owned site might be able to get the city 10,000 to 14,000 square feet," Gomez said.

What staff presented: Gomez reviewed facility benchmarks, summarized nearly 2,000 resident responses gathered through two rounds of surveys and in-person outreach, and outlined program priorities that emerged from the engagement: an accessible, bilingual and sensory-friendly ‘third place,’ multigenerational programming, youth spaces, indoor recreation, arts and culture, workforce programming and event rentals. "There were 2 rounds of online surveys. The first round garnered about 1,000 participants and the second round about 900," he said.

Sites and constraints: staff mapped nine candidate sites, including two non-city-owned retail buildings (the old Walmart and an old Burlington), city-owned land near the amphitheater, the library site (city-owned), a site near the Salvation Army, the "5 Acres" by City Hall, Uptown Village, and a site near Northgate Church. Dennis Keats Soccer Park was described as unlikely to be viable because converting park space would require replacement elsewhere. Gomez emphasized the evaluation criteria: availability, capacity, zoning and cost, followed by accessibility and connectivity.

Cost and procurement trade-offs dominated the discussion: acquiring and retrofitting a retail building could trigger significant retrofit and code-compliance costs and sellers’ asking prices have proven prohibitive in prior negotiations. One staff presenter said a broker-led attempt to acquire the Walmart property fell through because the owner’s asking price was substantially higher than the city’s valuation.

Next steps: staff said Group 4 Architecture will refine program, site and phasing diagrams and work with Financial Services to develop cost models; staff will hold technical meetings with planners and engineers and present recommendations to City Council in late January with final recommendations in February 2026. Gomez advised commissioners that the project remains in the master planning phase and that full build-out would likely take years.

No action taken: the item was for discussion only; the commission received the update and there were no public comments.

The commission’s discussion is expected to inform the council’s January decision to narrow preferred sites and the February 2026 presentation of final study results.