Palm Springs hosting special meeting for ‘public input’ on new arena downtown tonight

The community of Palm Springs is invited to a special city council meeting Thursday night to discuss the new arena coming to the city. The open meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The project is set to be built in the parking lot adjacent to the Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs. The 10,000 seat arena is being developed in partnership with the Oakview group and will be the home of a new American Hockey League Team franchise.

Developers say the arena will host other sporting and entertainment events as well as live music concerts. Some residents are excited about what the project means for the city but others have expressed concerns. Some are worried that if there is not enough on-site parking provided, event-goers will have to park in the surrounding neighborhoods -- congesting the area.

Other concerns include the strain a large new venue might put on city resources: there will be inevitably be a need for additional law enforcement and safety resources along with the high volume of people attending events.

The city says they welcome the input of local business owners and residents attending Thursday night's meeting.