Beauty at Palermo

Hello dear neighbors: Sometimes with the management headaches (which are so solvable) we can forget how beautiful our wonderful Palermo is. It's beyond compare. Miss Penny Lane reminds: Don't forget to take in the natural and human-made beauty found in the best development in Palm Springs.

Light on the Quiet Side & New green fencing on Foothill

For those of you following the postings about the burnt-out lights on the Quiet Side - there now is light. A resident had to resort to putting signs on the lights because management ignored the problem for so so long. It still took at least week to get the bulbs replaced, and that is on top of the time (about a month) they were burnt out before the signs went up. (In other events, on Foothill, workers moved the green fencing closer to the road.) Miss Penny Lane's take: So happy those dearies on the Quiet Side now have light, but it shouldn't require such measures to new bulbs.

Update on proposed development across from Palermo and historic Wexler Steel homes

Recent news on the housing development proposed for across from Palermo at Indian Canyon and San Rafael. Concerns seem to be about the density of the for-sale units, and also the odd process the city has used. City money will go to the project so it looks as if the city planning staff is bending planning rules and public noticing to get the project approved. (A Palermo resident has told Miss Penny this in an e-mail.). Some Palermo residents are for some kind of project as another way to jump-start redevelopment in our neighborhood. Recap from the Desert Sun:

"In a 4-2 vote, the planning commission denied recommending a 51-unit, moderate-income housing development by
Community Dynamics for the corner of North Indian Canyon Drive and San Rafael. “This is a very difficult project and it does a potential disservice to future homeowners because it's too dense,” commissioner Tracy Conrad said.
The condo complex has drawn opposition from owners of the historically designated Donald Wexler-designed mid-century modern steel homes who would live next to the development.
The vote follows Monday's 4-3 rejection by the Palm Springs Architectural Advisory Committee. During that meeting, Wexler himself voted to reject the project as a committee alternate.
While Community Dynamics has made some design changes in the past 18 months, it kept its 51-unit density.
Community Dynamics vice president Stephen Roberts said the developer needs to keep the number of units intact for it to work financially. “We need the 51 units to proceed. We really do,” he said.
The developer has 10 days to file an appeal with the city clerk's office to go before the council."

Best is yet to come for Palermo

Hello, dear Palermo-ites, what a wonderful day in the community, blue skies, people using floaties in the pool, boys walking their dogs, neighbors talking in the street. Much to be thankful for here in our community, with the coolest design in Palm Springs. Sad that we have to put up with bad management and an absentee board. But the emails I've been receiving show that neighbors are coming together - and the board canceling the Wednesday meeting without notice actually had a silver lining. Some of the guys tell me they met on their own last Wednesday evening to share thoughts, and want to have a community meeting regardless of whether the board is there. We must rely on ourselves when we can't even get "the little things" fixed in a timely manner. One resident has resorted to putting signs on burnt-out lights, and still management hasn't replaced the bulbs. How many more days will it take? Miss Penny Lane says: Palermo's problems are easy to solve if we had leadership and communication.

Board meeting canceled

Brimming with good ideas and thoughts, Miss Penny Lane arrived early to yesterday's scheduled HOA meeting, only to find a notice canceling the meeting and no new meeting date posted. Now she wonders if she ever will make it to a HOA meeting. It's likely the next meeting will be held with little or no notice. Most residents only knew about Wednesday's meeting because of postcards from this blog and mailbox signs put up by another resident. Miss Penny Lane needs to rush off to work. But before going, must ask: Why didn't someone have the courtesy to show up to meet with the residents?

A switch-a-roo with the HOA meeting date.

Why is it so hard to find out about a Palermo homeowners board meeting? The board, unexpectedly, has moved up the meeting by two weeks and has only posted notices at the clubhouse (and not on the mailboxes). Nothing mailed so far. No other notices anywhere on the grounds. Everyone was told that the meeting was going to be on the 28th. Now it is at 6 p.m. this Wednesday (April 14) at the clubhouse. Miss Penny Lane suggests: Owners and renters should show up to give your thoughts, but bring your own chairs to the clubhouse because thieves have cleaned out part of the place. (P.S.: People also are using this posting to discuss the yellow ribbons on the trees that have recently appeared.)

Easter earthquake - Is everyone OK at Palermo?

Miss Penny Lane hopes you all are well after the earthquake. We all must rely on one another. It's up to us to draw up our safety and security plans because of the missing leadership here. If there's trouble at Palermo from more quakes, we should all plan to meet near the club house to work together. Report any damage/problems to management, and post them here too. Prayers and kisses to you all this Easter.

"Broken (sticks) windows" syndrome

After a second break-in to the clubhouse/gym, there's been much discussion here about the "broken windows" syndrome in which things, such as a clubhouse door that doesn't shut properly or slowness to fix a falling down outside glass display case, send a message that we don't care about this place. Then the thieves come in. Look at this picture sent in by a resident. About six or nine months ago it's said that some kids broke these pool sticks. Also notice the cigarette burn. The broken sticks have been sitting in a clubhouse cupboard forever. Nothing was done by management to replace them, or even remove them. The pool table also is being wrecked. Miss Penny Lane asks: Who will save our dear clubhouse and gym, why the delay in any action, and why has management still said nothing to us?

Breaking news - Another theft at the clubhouse/gym

Dear neighbors, a quick and sad post before work. There's been another robbery of our beautiful clubhouse/fitness center. Months ago someone took the big flat screen TV. Now Miss Penny Lane understands that tables and chairs have been stolen. It's a sad but perhaps not unexpected day.

Palermo's new neighbor: College of the Desert

Hello neighbors, a quick post before work. Did you see the article in the newspaper about the green campus that College of the Desert will build by us? The development will be the catalyst for the rebirth of this area. Projected opening is 2014. Think of the potential! Palermo is the place to be.

Highlights of the article, titled, "COD sees chance to make green going green. Energy self-sufficiency, retail opportunities
could ease sting of school cuts"

- COD recently unveiled plans for its west valley campus in Palm Springs, envisioned as a cutting-edge enclave of energy self-sufficient buildings, a green business incubator offering training and jobs for students and a small solar farm generating extra income as well as electricity.

- Valley leaders are clearly focused on the Palm Springs campus and the role it could play in drawing green tech firms to the region.

- The Palm Springs mayor sees the campus as a boon for retail in his city, with students coming from Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City, as well as Beaumont and Banning further down Interstate 10.

- COD first committed to developing the satellite campuses as part of a $346.5 million bond measure voters passed in 2004. The COD chose Palm Springs over Desert Hot Springs as the site in 2007, after a fierce competition between the two cities.

- Features of the 119-acre campus include:

- Officials want to make the campus a zero-waste, net-zero energy use and carbon-neutral facility.

- The campus programs would focus on hospitality and tourism, media and the arts, health and green tech, and may include four-year degrees.

- “We are at advanced stages of negotiations with a private university that would see them on the campus providing the upper-division courses of a program which we don't provide."

And modern art amid the rubble, too

Miss Penny missed it, but an alert Positively Palermo devotee points out that not just nature's beauty finds a way flourish in the former construction zone of Phase 2 Palermo. (Thanks for the photographs to the left.) Beyond the wild flowers that Miss Penny loves so much, it's also a site for budding artists of the modern variety. Who knew that Palermo had such talent within its walls? The wind apparently has blown down the latest art. But Miss Penny Lane asks: Should we all go out together and create some modern art from the rubble left behind?

Nature's beauty amid the rubble

The seemingly abandoned Phase Two of our Palermo complex in places seems to resemble a junkyard with discarded furniture, left-behind pieces of construction materials, tires, trash, etc. etc. But life finds a way, and amid the rubble, there is nature's beauty. Here are some Palermo wild flowers - just look past the beers bottles that litter parts of the site and have gone unpicked up for ages. The sweet flowers make Miss Penny Lane smile as she drives down the access road.

Before and After

Before and After. When will the ripped out trees be replaced? These palm trees belong to the Palermo HOA. They apparently were put in too close to driveways by the developer, so isn't that who should pay for the removal because of their possible mistaken planning in the first place? But don't the trees themselves belong to the HOA and ought to be replanted elsewhere in the complex?

Put all the trees in a tree museum

Penny Lane's email is heating up over the removal of a bunch of palm trees from our wonderful Palermo. These mature trees are worth a lot of money. Where did they go? They've been trucked off rather than replanted here.

Falling down, falling down

Hello Palermo friends:

Perhaps you saw this earlier comment post from your neighbor Mr. Jones on this blog site. Mr. Jones wrote to you: "The sign at the club house door is falling down. It is hanging by one nail and will fall and the glass (will) shattered all over. Who's going to do something about it??"

Well we now have an answer: NOTHING. Despite notification, management has done nothing to fix it. It's a crash waiting to happen right here in our little Palermo community. Here's a furnished picture.

Miss Penny Lane asks: If this glass case breaks, and if the management knows about it, should the replacement cost come out of the HOA dues, or should the management and absentee board foot the bill?

Safety First!

Fire extinguishers were mounted in numerous locations in our lovely Palermo complex. No one from the management company, nor the HOA board, bothered to talk to residents about the placement. Even Miss Penny Lane thinks safety comes before shielding eyesores from view, but still why not consult the residents before placing them? It's little to ask. There is some leeway in where they need to be put. No communication, again.

What is the management company doing?

We're hearing complaints about Desert Resort Management, like how long it takes to get things fixed. Residents say they feel like they are being ignored. One resident said it took weeks and weeks just to get the dog poop bag stations refilled, and then trash cans at the doggie bag stations weren't emptied. That said, managing this place is a big job. What do you think? Email us or post it here after you have asked to get something fixed. We can keep track of it and try to hold these folks accountable for any slow action.

Those newly painted red fire hydrants

A man came through the other day and painted all our yellow fire hydrants red. Word is that the HOA paid up to $700 for the repainting even though it was the developer that painted them yellow in the first place. Hydrants in the undeveloped Phase Two also got a new color of paint. Others say the fire department is to blame for the confusion.

Encouraging movement on sales!

Palermo residents may have noticed that several "for sale" signs are down. There are reports of numerous condos being sold. Signs have come down on the Quiet Side, Breeze Loop and Melody Lane. Some people who have stayed for the season have been looking to buy as well.

Colt Security phone numbers

New information on calling Colt Security has been left in the clubhouse. Here it is: After 5 p.m. weekdays and on weekends, call Colt dispatch at 760-564-8415 or 760-564-1167. Call 760-346-8033 during the day on weekdays.

Threatening Palermo's cats!!!!

Someone has taped a sign on the Sunburst mailboxes that threatens to trap cats owned by Palermo residents. This person says he/she will then bring these animals to the shelter.
This would be cat-napping and theft. Anyone who knows the identity of this person should contact Colt Security or Brandi at DRM. And how about telling the police about this cruelty?
If you see a trap in a neighbor's yard, speak out.

Housing redevelopment plan across from Palermo hits a bump

From the Desert Sun, January 2010.

The Palm Springs Planning Commission voted this week to have a hearing about plans for a residential development that its neighbors oppose.

The townhouse project is proposed to be built near the historic Wexler steel homes at the city's north end. Its Santa Monica-based developer, Community Dynamics, in a Jan. 7 letter to the city, asked that the commission take another look at the 51-unit moderate-income project, proposed for the corner of Indian Canyon and San Rafael drives.

The commission voted 6-1 on Wednesday to give notice of a hearing on the matter at a future date. Vice Chairman Jon Caffery dissented.

It first reviewed the Community Dynamics project at its Oct. 14 meeting, where owners of the Donald Wexler-designed homes said they worried about potential noise, overcrowding, views from the units into their homes and blocked mountain views.

At that meeting, the Planning Commission also voted 6-1 to request Community Dynamics make design changes and reduce its densities. The developer then would present those changes to the city's Architectural Advisory Committee and bring the project back to the commission at a later date.

On Wednesday, Community Dynamics Vice President Stephen Roberts said the company looked at the commission's request, but the changes would not pencil out — nor would they mesh with “the sense of community” the developer hoped to create.

Roberts added that the architectural committee already had recommended approval of the project design in June.

Community Dynamics had hoped to restate its case before the commission Wednesday — but that idea didn't sit well with some commission members.

Commissioner Tracy Conrad said it would be unfair to take additional testimony from Community Dynamics. The developer already made its case in October and opted to disregard the commission's input, she said. “I'm not inclined to change my mind, no matter what I'm told,” Conrad added. “I find the whole process a bit disingenuous.”

Several Wexler homeowners agreed.

“We have not been contacted by Community Dynamics since the public hearing three months ago,” Wexler steel home owners James and Ginger Pigott stated in a Jan. 27 letter to the commission. “There can be no justifiable reason for them to completely ignore us when there are so many unresolved issues with their plans.”

Mark Dansby, a resident of the Palermo development nearby, spoke in favor of the Community Dynamics project at Wednesday's meeting. It would provide much-needed “high quality, energy-efficient working-class homes” for Palm Springs' moderate income community, Dansby said.

After the meeting, Director of Planning Services Craig Ewing said Community Dynamics “ultimately gets to decide the project they want the commission to rule on.”

In case you missed it - Julian's Market news

From KSPS Channel 2 News, November 2009:

Palm Springs police have recovered an estimated $200,000 in stolen property from five locations connected to one Valley businessman. Some items found at the locations included: several stolen motorcycles, televisions, computer equipment, a washing machine and jewelry, according to Palm Springs Sergeant Mitch Spike. It took two U-Haul trucks to carry away the items, he said. Police say they found the things after a transient admitted to being involved in over 50 burglaries during the past few months in Palm Springs and Cathedral City. The person told police he ended up selling most of the stolen items to Chuck Ailabouni, owner of Julian's Market in Palm Springs, a liquor and deli store located on North Indian Canyon. Based on information given to the police department from the transient, investigators got search warrants for five properties owned or used by Ailabouni and served those warrants Monday, according to Spike. 54-year-old Ailabouni was arrested along with his 31-year-old son, Chuck Ailabouni, Jr. Also arrested were: Rawan Matar, 21, Ihab Shabi, 24, Anek Jajib, 21, and Rasim Taha, 40. All of those arrested are Palm Springs residents. Spike said that a total of nine victims have been identified, but that a majority of the recovered items has yet to be linked to their rightful owners.