What will, and won’t be coming to downtown Palm Springs
Cosmetics and fragrance chain Sephora is expected to open another Coachella Valley location, KESQ reports exclusively. A mural proposed for the building is expected to be reviewed by the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission this week. Sephora already operates a store within the J.C. Penney at Westfield Palm Desert, and a stand-alone store on El Paseo in Palm Desert. Details on a projected opening date and address were not immediately available, and Sephora did not respond to a request for comment.
In addition, after much speculation, Whole Foods has declined to open a second Coachella Valley location at this time. Grit Development’s Michael Braun said the company did not rule out the possibility of a Palm Springs location in the future but passed for now. He also said discussions with other grocery stores to open in the downtown development block are ongoing.
On Friday, Braun also confirmed Grit will ask the Palm Springs City Council for a three year extension on the Virgin Hotel project. He said potential litigation over California’s prevailing wage had stalled completion of financing.
“Grit remains committed to the downtown project, and hopes to be able to resolve the present uncertainties so that the entire project can be brought to fruition,” wrote Emily Hemphill, counsel for Grit Development, LLC, in a letter to City Manager David Ready on Oct. 26.
Read the entire letter here:
“It’s not a question of if this project should be built, but when it will be built,” said Braun. “If my attorneys can resolve the prevailing wage issue in 2019, we only need a two-year extension. If this issue needs to be resolved in court, we need three years or more.”
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