Indio extends development agreement with Goldenvoice & Coachella Music Festival to 2050

The Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals will likely stay in Indio for at least another three decades.

With a 3-1 vote on Wednesday, the Indio City Council approved an extension of the development agreement with Goldenvoice through 2050.

Indio Mayor Elaine Holmes recused herself from the item, citing a conflict due to property she own that is within 1,000 feet of the festival.

The contract was set to expire in 2030, but Goldenvoice LLC. and Coachella Musical Festival LLC. requested an amendment to extend the deal for an extra 20 years.

"This extension will ensure the continuation of the long-term public benefits that the festival provides this city and to the greater Coachella Valley," David Goldeberg, an attorney representing Goldenvoice, said in a presentation during the meeting.

The extension will not affect the attendance cap, number of festivals, festival site, nor operations changes others that were in the original agreement.

A handful of residents, including former Indio councilmember Sam Torres, spoke during public comment for the topic. Many called on the city council to get more benefits for residents before approving any extension, citing issues with affordable housing.

"The city has the ability to request something out of that and I think that we should look at the financial," Torres said. "The city of Indio, at least when I was on council, probably spent about $7-8 million in improving roadways in both Monroe and Madison. Think about that, $7-8 million that we spent. The driveways that go to Empire [Polo Club] were put in by the city of Indio.

In 2012, during Torres tenure as a councilmember, he caused an uproar when he proposed a six-percent tax on tickets to the festivals. The proposal led to the Goldenvoice threatening to move the festival, but that did not come to pass. In 2014, the city and Goldenvoice reached the development agreement that was extended on Wednesday.

Goldberg did not have a specific response to the public comments, but did say that the community could benefit from the additional 20 years of funds that will go into the city's general fund.

Councilmember Oscar Ortiz, the lone nay voter, said he recognizes the benefits that the festival brings to the community, however, he said he was concerned over the length of the extension.

"I think we need to do a little more research in terms of community outreach first, to the areas around it because it has been 7 years since we did this agreement," Ortiz said. "Some of the public comments that we do have, there's people around the area saying that they're actually not included in the development agreement but they are impacted. So I think we do need to see are there areas being impacted that we not taken into account and also, are there any new concerns since the agreement in 2013 that we can implement into this new agreement before we sign up for another 20 years."

The rest of the council spoke about the growth the city has seen since the first Coachella music festival in 1999, the benefits to the community, and the worldwide recognition it bring to the city.

"With each festival, not only do we receive direct benefits, but the benefit to the community and the sense of pride that we have by these organizations coming in and building that international recognition for us, is really more than we could ever pay for," said councilmember Lupe Ramos Amith. "The value of that brand, that marketing effort, that recognition is something that we as a city could never afford to do."

The Coachella Music and Arts Festival typically brings upward of 250,000 fans over two weekends to the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

The Coachella Valley's economy lost upward of $700 million due to the absence of both festivals in 2020, according to a previous report from the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership.

The festival is scheduled to return in 2022 and while a full line-up has yet to be announced, Travis Scott and Rage Against the Machine are expected to headline.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.