Palm Desert neighborhoods debate burying power lines
South Palm Desert residents want to see the utility poles and power lines in their neighborhoods gone.
“They’re ugly, ugly, ugly everyday, and they’re getting uglier,” said Roland Alden.
“This valley is all about seeing the views and the beautiful mountains and when you see those overhead wires it’s just a bummer,” said Leila McCauley, who lives near Deep Canyon Road.
In 1974, the city began requiring cables to be buried in all new developments, but 67 miles of Palm Desert’s oldest neighborhoods remain above ground, and the process of changing that carries a big price tag.
“Under the current system, homeowners pay for it. The city will float a bond so the money is there immediately to get the process started. but the homeowners repay that bond over a 20-year period,” said council member Sabby Jonathan.
The extra cost would raise property taxes by anywhere between $100 and $200 a month, or property owners could pay the lump sum upfront.
Mike Lewis lives in the Highlands community, which has already buried its lines. He said the extra cost on his tax bill is worth it.
“The birds don’t have a place to sit anymore but when I look out I see mountains and I don’t see wires anymore,” Lewis said.
For a neighborhood to initiate “undergrounding,” it must first form an assessment district and get 70% of property owners to agree to burying the lines.
Then the city will pre-fund engineering studies, which determine the project’s cost per home.
“Then there’s a second vote for that district, and if 50% plus 1 to then approve the project moving forward,” Jonathan said.
So far, more than 400 Palm Desert homes have completed the process and more than 100 are in progress.
In addition to improved aesthetics, residents hope buried lines will make their neighborhoods safer as well.
“They’re very dangerous during an earthquake or high winds or fires,” Alden said of above-ground power poles.
“It’s comforting that they’re underground and you don’t have to worry,” McCauley said.
