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.