Demolition To Begin On Palm Canyon Drive After Speech
Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet will give his State of the City address today at 12:30 p.m and then watch as an old downtown building is demolished to make way for redevelopment.
Pougnet will speak about what the city accomplished over the past year and lay out goals for this year during the State of the City luncheon at the Hilton Palm Springs, city spokeswoman Amy Blaisdell said.
Tickets for the lunch cost $45, but residents who just want to hear the speech can get in free, Blaisdell said. Pougnet will answer questions after the talk.
KESQ.com will bring you live coverage of the Mayor’s speech and the demolition of the Bank of America building afterward.
Afterward, city officials, representatives from Wessman Development and residents will watch as demolition begins on the old Bank of America building and part of the former Hamburger Hamlet at Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way. The event will include a champagne toast and free block party celebration sponsored by Wessman and food from local restaurants in the parking lot behind the bank building.
The demolition is the first phase of a downtown redevelopment project, which includes the revitalization of Desert Fashion Plaza shopping center. Measure J, passed by voters last November, will fund a $43 million public investment in the downtown shopping center and infrastructure improvements by raising the city’s sales tax by 1 percentage point. Demolition is expected to take about a month, Blaisdell said.
“This will be a historic day in the city of Palm Springs and I invite every resident, business person or anyone with an interest in the future of our city to join us as we kick off the long-awaited and much-anticipated revitalization of downtown Palm Springs,” Pougnet said. ” … With the passage of Measure J and the imminent demolition of these two buildings, a tremendous citywide transformation is about to get under way.”
To reserve a spot for the luncheon, go to www.pschamber.org or call (760) 325-1577.
