Final Desert Fashion Plaza Meeting Slated For Tonight

The final visioning workshop for the development of downtown Palm Springs today will have a much more positive tone to it, with the city and the owner of the Desert Fashion Plaza having agreed to work together.

Symbolizing the new relationship, representatives of Wessman Development — which owns the Desert Fashion Plaza and surrounding amenities — will join members of the Palm Springs City Council for today’s 6 p.m. public meeting.

“These public participation workshops will help define a community vision for this important piece of property as the city and Wessman Development move forward,” Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet said.

Pougnet announced during his State of the City address Tuesday that Palm Springs agreed with Wessman Development to come to terms on a pact for redeveloping the vacant mall by Aug. 1.

Such a working relationship appeared in doubt just a few weeks ago, when Pougnet rejected the company’s plans to sell off only parcels of the 17-acre piece of land. Earlier, the company rebuffed the city’s offer of $18 million for the property.

The news was encouraging for store owners in the downtown area, who have been waiting for more than a decade for a project at Desert Fashion Plaza to take shape.

“Nothing would make me happier than to see the city and Wessman Development working together for the good of this town,” said Joy Meredith, president of Main Street Palm Springs, a collection of business owners. “This is what I was waiting for.”

There are still plenty of hurdles to clear before the project takes off.

Wessman said last week during a Main Street Palm Springs meeting that he would need the city’s financial assistance for his plan to come to fruition. The City Council previously has estimated such support to be $50 million, which would come from a voter-approved tax.

Today’s workshop will take place in the Primrose Room of the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros.