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Architectural panel approves Hillside home after owner and applicant make concessions to neighbors
Summary
The Palm Springs Architectural Review Committee approved a major architectural application for a single‑story hillside home in Cahuilla Hills after the applicant agreed to relocate solar panels, add landscape screening and alter roof finishes to reduce glare.
The Palm Springs Architectural Review Committee on May 18 approved a major architectural application to build a single‑story residence on a hillside lot in Cahuilla Hills, concluding the project meets local design standards after the applicant and owner addressed neighbor concerns.
Planning staff recommended approval of Case AR2025‑0091, noting the application had been before the committee twice and that a third and final decision was required this evening. Staff summarized sun‑study and massing analyses showing limited view impacts during equinox months and minor winter impacts to nearby solar panels.
The applicant, Zachary Green of Hundred Mile House, and principal Dwayne Smith described a split‑level site strategy that concentrates development on previously disturbed pads and preserves a prominent rock feature the owner called out as central to the design. Owner Signa Sterner told the committee she wanted a modest, two‑bedroom house that "honors the rock," and said the team had worked for two years to respond to site constraints and neighbor input.
During the meeting the project team agreed to relocate photovoltaic panels from a detached garage to the proposed accessory dwelling unit and to use a tan roof membrane to reduce reflective glare. Staff and the applicant also identified added planting along a northern retaining wall and other minor plan revisions to soften massing adjacent to neighbors.
Committee members praised outreach to the nearby homeowner who had objected previously, and several said the revised plan did not create a substantial view impact. After brief discussion the committee moved, seconded and carried approval by roll call.
The committee’s action adopted staff conditions and the plans as revised; the owner and applicant were thanked for dedicating extra time to neighbor meetings. The application record lists the project as Case AR2025‑0091 / AMM2025‑0014 and the committee’s approval includes the conditions of approval recorded in the staff report.
