Indio council extends 60‑day moratorium while drafting tighter rules for fueling stations

The Indio City Council on March 4 approved a 60‑day extension of a moratorium on the establishment or expansion of fueling stations while staff refines a draft ordinance that would tighten location, landscaping, design and operational standards.

Brian Halverson, Indio’s director of community development, told the council the city is an entitlement jurisdiction for HUD‑style grants and staff work had identified an estimated $18,000,000 of unmet fuel demand — a figure council members asked staff to unpack with a tax‑revenue breakdown. Halverson summarized proposed changes that include increasing landscape coverage on site plans from roughly 10% to 20%, requiring a regional tree palette and a recorded landscape‑maintenance plan, minimum EV charging (at least one charger for a station), limits on convenience‑store size (a 4,000‑square‑foot…