Palm Springs City Council talks Buzz trolley return and marijuana odors
Palm Springs is moving forward with plans to bring back the “Buzz” trolley in the downtown area.
The trolley service will resume service on January 10, according to Sunline Transit Agency.
The city will now be spending $350,000 on the service instead of the nearly $1 million it had been spending on the service before. The council discussed whether the money will come from Measure J funds, a controversial proposal. Council members decided Wednesday to look at other ways to fund the bus, including using the general fund. The council still hasn’t nailed down where the money will come from.
Read: Buzz trolleys returning to Palm Springs
The revived “Buzz” will have a new schedule. Council member Lisa Middleton told KESQ & CBS Local 2 the trolley will now run 3 days a week, from noon to 10 p.m. instead of 10 am to 1 am.
The city council had a big agenda for their meeting Wednesday including the Buzz. There were also discussions on plans for the historic Plaza Theatre, the city’s booming cannabis industry, and complaints about marijuana odors.
At least a dozen people spoke up about marijuana odors during the public comment portion of the meeting. Most speakers said they are not opposed to the cannabis industry, but they want something to be done about the odors coming with it.
Construction of a previously approved 10,000-square foot marijuana facility near a Palm Springs neighborhood was back on the table. Some complained about cannabis odors coming from current facilities owned by the same company requesting the application to build another facility.
“The smell coming from the process facilities are overwhelming. It’s in the morning, it’s at night. I’ve called multiple times. Lots of members of our neighborhood organization has called. It’s just too much. There are too many process facilities and as people have noted, there aren’t any process facilities in other neighborhoods,” said Maria DeAngelo of the Upper Westside Neighborhood Organization.
The city council did introduce the idea of an odor-meter but there still isn’t too much information known on how that will exactly work. Council members did agree they need to come up with a way to better enforce their current city ordinance that prohibits excessive marijuana odors.
Watch: Palm Springs city council moves forward with restoring Plaza Theatre
Infrastructure and design plans for the historic Plaza Theatre were presented tonight. The project is expected to cost anywhere between $10 million to $12 million. There will be community forums to get feedback on proposed ideas. The city also talked about ways to raise funds for the restoration project.
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