Palm Springs fulfillment center clears hurdle, but not done deal yet
A proposed 750,000-square-foot fulfillment center project in Palm Springs cleared a major hurdle on Wednesday.
The Palm Springs Planning Commission voted to move ahead with the project with a number of conditions. Some of those conditions deal with concerns about air quality because of increased truck traffic.
The center would be built near Indian Canyon Drive and 19th Avenue, just north of Interstate 10.
News Channel 3 received a statement from the Palm Springs Director of Planning Services, Christopher Hadwin on Thursday regarding the recent 4-0 vote from the Palm Springs Planning Commission.
Last night, the City’s Planning Commission approved plans by PS Canyon Development, LLC, to construct a 739,360 square foot fulfillment center on a 38-acre property located at North Indian Canyon Drive and 18th Drive. The proposed use is allowed by-right in this area of the City.
The logistics center is expected to provide over 700 jobs and will potentially provide the City with several million dollars of additional property and sales tax revenue annually.
During their deliberations, the Commission considered the support of various environmental and labor groups who worked with the developer to secure significant investment in EV charging facilities and solar panels and commitments to using construction standards that help offset potential environmental impacts. They have also committed to implementing an employee ride-share program and other measures to reduce traffic, and to using union labor for new jobs.
In reaching their decision, the Planning Commission cited the project’s benefits to the City, including the significant number of local jobs and diversification of the City’s economy, as well as the upgrades that will be made to area roads. The Commission also imposed requirements that the development use Desert Community Energy’s Carbon Free plan, provide indoor and shaded outdoor areas for employees to use for breaks, and convert the truck fleet to electric vehicles as soon as technology permits.
The project will now proceed to the City’s Architectural Review Committee for review of architectural and landscape design.
Christopher Hadwin, Director of Planning Services
No word from the city as of yet what impact an appeal has on the project, which former Palm Springs Planning Commissioner member and organizer of the group stopwarehouseblight.com, Peter Moruzzi says he filed with the city today.
"No this really is a political decision, and it makes sense that it should go to the city council," he explained. "So we're going to appeal the Planning Commission decision to the City council, because they're the ones that need to make this large of a policy decision as it relates to warehouses."
Moruzzi says an appeal will force the decision on approving the warehouse plan to be put before the Palm Springs City Council.
"They get the appeal and eventually this will go before the city council, who gives the final say so on whether it moves forward or not."
During Wednesday's, Planning Commission meeting the most often cited concern by residents was the environmental impact these projects have and how one often leads to more warehouses down the pipeline.
"I mean, this whole issue of 102,000 truck trips annually that will come out of just this one building produces a huge amount of greenhouse gas pollution. And you multiply that by all the other warehouses that are now on the drawing board throughout the Coachella Valley. And it's going to be unbelievably polluted with these gases, these greenhouse gases."
New members for the Palm Springs City Council are expected to be sworn in on Dec. 12.
We'll continue to follow this story on-air and online.
Last week, News Channel 3's Garrett Hottle took an in-depth look at the project.
