Indio City planning commission approves Madison Point Phase 1 with conditions to manage temporary basin and signage

The Indio City Planning Commission on April 8 voted to recommend approval of the Madison Point Phase 1 design review, conditional use permit and tentative tract map, forwarding resolutions 2129–2131 to the City Council with conditions aimed at managing a temporary retention basin and signage.

Gustavo Gomez, principal planner with the Community Development Department, told the commission the revised plan maintains subdivision of roughly 20 acres into eight lots but limits immediate development to three pads (two along Highway 111 and one on Madison Street). The applicant removed a previously proposed car wash, reduced the multi-tenant commercial building’s footprint to about 10,960 square feet (down from a roughly discussed 14,500 sq. ft. earlier), and proposes a coffee shop with one drive-through, general retail with EV charging and a battery energy storage system.

Gomez said staff recommended smaller tenant wall signage—5 feet rather than a larger 6-foot option—consistent with recent corridor approvals, and noted the project would still include a large identification monument sign at the site entry that conforms to corridor height limits. He identified the applicable limited-land-use standard for Sub Area 8 (maximum two limited uses) and confirmed the revised application would use one of those allowances. Gomez recommended the commission forward approval to the City Council for design review (resolution 2129), the CUP (2130) and the tentative tract map (34804/2131).

Commissioners questioned details of signage dimensions and safety around the proposed battery energy storage system. One commissioner asked whether there have been incidents of leakage or explosions; Gomez deferred to the applicant’s battery vendor for technical specifics and said the fire department had raised concerns during review and the project includes conditions to address fire-safety requirements.

A substantial portion of the discussion focused on a temporary stormwater retention basin proposed for Phase 1. Commissioners expressed concern that a temporary basin might remain indefinitely if later phases developed slowly. An applicant representative explained the basin is sized to collect runoff from the area being developed and that each subsequent phase will require hydrology review. Staff proposed and read two conditions into the record: that the applicant landscape the temporary retention basin (or provide groundcover) and install a wrought-iron fence if the basin exceeds 5 feet in depth; and that the applicant construct the permanent retention basin and remove the temporary basin prior to issuance of a grading permit for Phase 2, with wording allowing the city engineer and development director discretion to account for phased sequencing.

Commissioner Santos moved to approve the project "as stated with the conditions that were read a few minutes ago, the 2 conditions," and a colleague seconded the motion. The commission voted and the motion carried. The commission then forwarded its recommendation to the City Council under the listed resolution numbers.

The commission concluded with brief commissioner remarks about traffic and city communications. The item’s next procedural step is transmittal of the commission’s recommendation to the Indio City Council. The meeting adjourned to the next regularly scheduled hearing on April 22, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.