Palermo wasn't just going to be a 211-unit condo development done in Palm Springs Desert Modern design. It also was supposed to have 10,000 square feet of retail space. There also would be about three dozen parking spaces. A high-end coffee shop was dangled before home buyers as one tenant ready and waiting. Those who remember know that the retail component was important to Palermo's approval because city planners worried about the lack of shopping options in this part of Palm Springs. There was debate about whether the Palermo tract should even have residential zoning at all. The developer, Enterprise Cos. of Chicago, had to have a consultant write a report detailing retail needs in this area. The Enterprise report noted that city planners suggested that "a relatively small, residentially scaled, retail component at Indian Canyon Drive and San Rafael could be a catalyst to the city's effort for redevelopment in the area. All parties ultimately agreed that, given the residential development in the area, a small project would do well and could indeed spawn larger development to the west side of Indian Canyon. It could help to 'clean up' a long-standing problem area that has plagued the city for years. Our project could be designed in concept with the units creating an integrated architectural character and not that of a 'strip center' ... We are not 'retail' developers but feel the component was integral with the success of the neighborhood. We were happy to contribute to the effort." The developer no longer seems happy to contribute. When waiting for the back gate to open while on her way to her day job, Miss Penny Lane sometimes pauses in the morning to say: That big pile of rocks over there is the oddest looking coffee shop she's ever seen.
1 comment:
Penny, I'd buy to a latte any day!
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