With little undeveloped land left in its borders, the Coachella Valley’s smallest city, Indian Wells, recently gained $5 million in federal funding to bolster its flood protections along the Whitewater Channel, work that would allow homes and businesses to safely be built just south of the riverbed.
The funding, which was included in a package of spending bills passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden earlier this month, will go toward a channel lining project that’s long been discussed by city officials.
Most of the city’s vacant land runs east from the Renaissance Esmerelda Resort and Spa to the Mountain View Villas, an affordable housing complex for seniors, but the land can’t currently be developed due to a lack of armoring, or concrete slopes, along that portion of the Whitewater Channel.
The engineering required by the Coachella Valley Water District is intended to prevent erosion from storms along the banks, according to Indian Wells City Manager Chris Freeland.
“By doing that, we can then move forward with economic development opportunities there,” Freeland told The Desert Sun.
A final cost is yet to be determined, but initial estimates are roughly $20 million, which Freeland said would be split between the city, prospective developers and CVWD. Freeland also thanked the city’s congressman, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, for helping to secure the federal money.
Some steps remain for the channel lining to move forward. The project is currently under design by the city, and will then need approval from CVWD, the Army Corps of Engineers and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“It's our hope that we'll have all the design work done in the next couple of months, and that we'll be able to seek the necessary approvals and hopefully be under construction on the channel, I would say realistically, (at the) end of 2024 or early 2025,” Freeland said. “The estimate right now, based on what we know, is probably a year worth of construction.”
Channel project could pave the way for new housing, hotels, more
While still at least a couple years away, the new flood protections could get the wheels in motion for a variety of developments in the area just a few blocks away from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
For example, just west of the Mountain View Villas, the city has discussed a new affordable housing project with Abode Communities, a Los Angeles-based developer. The city-owned land is not yet subject to a development agreement, but the city has an exclusive negotiating agreement with Abode.
While the project’s specifics are far from finalized, the negotiating agreement says the city’s Housing Authority seeks 100 affordable multifamily housing units in buildings with no more than two stories.
“What we've been telling the council is future affordable housing in Indian Wells is being planned to be for families of lower and very low income,” Freeland said, noting the targets set by the city’s state-mandated housing plan, known as a Housing Element.
“Most likely, it’s going to be workforce housing, not just affordable housing,” he added. “That can be anything from hotel workers to school teachers and whatnot.”
Nearby along the channel, the infrastructure project could also lead to a new hotel at the northwest corner of Miles Avenue and Highway 111. Previously, the land was slated for a luxury Delano hotel, but those plans were halted due to financial issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, a new ownership group — Summit Developments, in partnership with Genton Cockrum Partners — purchased the vacant site. The group is aiming to bring in another “high-end hotel project,” with more details expected soon, Freeland said.
The land just east of Miles Avenue along Highway 111 was bought last year by a different group, Pinnacle Oasis LLC, according to property records. A commercial development, possibly with dining and retail offerings, could be built there, but those plans are yet to be determined.
Overall, Freeland described the project as exciting and one that will allow for the removal of a “blighted” area of town that has long been vacant, while potentially creating a lot of local jobs.
“Once that's all complete (with the channel), then the various developments that have been discussed there have a greater chance of moving forward because now, that public improvement has been completed,” Freeland said.
“The only thing holding back the developments are going to be whatever investors they need to obtain in order to finance a new hotels or restaurants and the like,” he added. “We're quite excited about that opportunity.”
Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.
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