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Palm Desert launches unified development code update; consultants outline timeline, streamlining and view protections
Summary
Clarion Associates presented an assessment report to Palm Desert council outlining a unified development code update focused on streamlining review, clarifying overlay maps and protecting scenic views; consultants aim for an annotated ordinance outline in months and adoption next year, with public review on Engage Palm Desert.
Nick Maloney, of the City of Palm Desert planning division, introduced consultants from Clarion Associates on a joint study session on the city’s unified development code (UDC) update and said the packet includes “the development, assessment report, which outlines some of the key issues and values in the code.”
Matt Goble, a Clarion Associates consultant, told the council the project’s main goals are “predictability and efficiency of the development review process,” preservation of Palm Desert’s character and creating a user-friendly code that ties to the general plan. He said the team aims to complete the work before the end of next year and will return with an annotated consolidated ordinance in a few months, followed by iterative public review drafts and test applications.
Why it matters: the city’s current zoning, subdivision and grading ordinances were updated piecemeal over decades, producing inconsistent…
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