Palm Springs commissioners urge zoning-code review, consider caps on self-storage near arterials

Several commissioners used the DP2025-0018 hearing as a forum to press for broader policy work on self-storage development. In Planning Commission reports after the vote, one commissioner said the city has reviewed multiple self-storage proposals and recommended staff consider establishing caps, locational requirements, or requiring special review for new self-storage developments.

The planning director acknowledged the issue will be addressed as part of the zoning-code update, noting consultants were asked to examine locational requirements and discretionary thresholds. "We asked them to specifically look at locational requirements," a commissioner stated, urging consideration of limits on projects along arterials or a requirement for an elevated review process.

Staff reiterated the zoning update is ongoing and that potential revisions could include clarifying definitions (e.g., outdoor storage versus parking for vehicles) and adding locational or size-based criteria. The conversation closed as a direction to monitor and prioritize the zoning-code rewrite rather than an immediate policy change.

Next steps: planners will incorporate consideration of self-storage locations, potential caps, and clearer definitions of outdoor storage into the upcoming zoning-code update and return findings to the commission in future meetings.