The fate of a massive new development proposed in north Indio remains undecided after hours of discussion by the city council and input from residents.
At its meeting Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Indio City Council voted unanimously to delay its final decision on the Oasis at Indio, a project that could bring 3,240 new homes to the city as well as 1.8 million square feet of industrial space. The developers pitching it say it could being over 1,200 new jobs and millions in new tax revenue.
Concerned over air quality and traffic increases, but hesitant to give up on the prospect of significant new growth, the council asked developer BH Properties to reduce some of the heaviest impacts of the project while continuing to work with city officials to bring
forward a viable proposal.
"Eight years of being on council, this is by far the biggest project that I would ever vote on and I want to make sure we get this right," Councilmember Waymond Fermon said during the meeting.
The council's decision leaves open the possibility that Oasis at Indio could still move forward, but BH Properties officials may be unwilling to alter their plans if they determine the city's demands make it financially unfeasible.
The project has already been rejected 3-2 by the Indio Planning Commission, which determined earlier this year that the unmitigable increases to air pollution and traffic congestion overwhelmed the potential benefits. Following that vote, BH Properties lowered the height the maximum possible height of the industrial buildings from 100 feet to 65 feet and increased the space between the new buildings and the freeways. But the developer notably did not reduce the total space that would be dedicated to industrial use, a major concern of the nearby Sun City Shadow Hills community.
“After all these meetings, town halls and the planning commission denial, we’re still at practically the same project," Councilmember Oscar Ortiz said during the meeting. "There’s still no significant change of warehouse space of this size.”
Oasis at Indio has been planned for open land just north of Interstate 10, south of Avenue 42 and west of Monroe Street. The project would include a mix of homes, industrial uses like warehouses and commercial space that could include hotels and restaurants. It is such a large expansion it would require a new electrical substation.
In its presentation to the council, BH Properties highlighted the potential benefits to the city, which the developer says include both new jobs for residents and millions of dollars in tax revenue that could be used for city services.
"Job growth is coming," BH Properties Senior Managing Director John Crump told the council. "The question really is will Indio benefit? Will those jobs come here locally? Will the city then benefit from the tax base, or will local residents have to commute outside and not be able to just work in the city?”
The Los Angeles-based real estate developer claims the project would lead to an annual economic impact of between is $147 million to $159 million in Indio alone due to the increased industrial and commercial activity. The city's general fund of $129.8 million fund could also be increased by around 1% with the new taxes generated by the residents, workers and businesses.
But community members have long been opposed to the addition of nearly 2 million square feet of industrial space in an area where suburban neighborhoods lie within walking distance. At the meeting on Wednesday, which stretched passed midnight, speakers urged councilmembers to reject the project over pollution concerns.
"It is impossible to overemphasize the adverse impact the project will have on the health and wellbeing of the community, adults, seniors and especially children," resident Deborah Minor said during the meeting.
For now, the fate of Oasis at Indio now lies in the hands of BH Properties. The company must decide if it wants to reduce the scope of the industrial use to align with the council's mandate. The vote on Wednesday delayed the final decision to a later meeting, but the date of that decision remains undetermined.
Despite its rejection of the current scale of the project, many councilmembers remained hopeful that the project could still be salvaged.
“I also do not want to give up on this project," Indio Mayor Elaine Holmes said during the meeting. "As I said before, it’s a beautiful piece of property. I think there’s endless opportunity there. It just may not be for that size of a warehouse.”
Sam Morgen covers local government for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Indio delays massive Oasis project, pushing for less warehouse space
