A famed neighborhood in Palm Springs that's long been home to celebrities and billionaires is undertaking the costly process to bury its power lines underground.
Although the effort will cost many homeowners in the Old Las Palmas
neighborhood over $100,000 each, they say it is worth it for the safety and aesthetic value, which some think would make their homes more valuable if they ever decide to sell."The bottom line is I think everybody is very excited about getting this done," said Chuck Nourrcier, an Old Las Palmas resident who has led the effort to underground the lines.
Although he mentioned some exceptions who don't approve of the project, enough residents have signed on that the Palm Springs City Council just allowed it to move forward.
After a majority of homeowners signed a petition, the city council took up the issue. The rest of the city's taxpayers won't foot the bill — only Old Las Palmas property owners will.
On Wednesday, Aug. 26, the council voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on the topic in October. Prior to that, each household will receive a ballot that includes an assessment of how much the undergrounding will cost them. Homeowners with higher assessments will have a larger stake in the vote than those with less valuable properties.
If over 50% of the ballots are in favor of the project, the city council will create a special assessment district to facilitate the process. Even homeowners who voted against undergrounding will have to pay the assessment.
The city estimated households would have to pay the city between $92,000 and $139,000 each. Additionally, they will have to pay private contractors to connect their homes to the new underground lines once they are installed. No estimate for those additional costs was included in a city staff report provided to the city council.
While it may seem costly, the Old Las Palmas neighborhood is one of the city's most historic and sought-after destinations. All homes in the neighborhood for sale on Zillow exceeded $1.9 million.
Dating back to the 1920's, the neighborhood has been a getaway for multiple celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Elizabeth Taylor and Liberace, according toOld Las Palmas' website. The former home of billionaire philanthropist Harold Matzner sits atop the neighborhood, now selling for $19.5 million.
With the O'Donnell Golf Club in the south, and downtown Palm Springs to the east, the roughly 290 homes in the neighborhood are a central location often visited by tourists sightseeing local architecture.
"All these people are really concerned about fires getting started and spreading throughout the neighborhood," Nourrcier said. "But also, the power lines are unsightly, and they obstruct use. And there are a lot of folks that won’t even look at a house in that neighborhood if it’s got wires through it."
He said "expensive is relative" when it came to the price tag.
In total, the project is expected to cost roughly $10.1 million, which the homeowners must pay. Homeowners will have a choice to pay in advance or through a municipal bond and lien on their property.
If approved, design work will take 12 to 18 months before the undergrounding can take place. And if construction does happen, Old Las Palmas will be the first neighborhood in the city to voluntarily undergo the process.
At the meeting, Councilmember Ron deHarte, whose district includes Old Las Palmas, praised the neighborhood leaders who pushed for the change.
He said the project was a "good example of what cane come in a community with a few people that are dedicated to the project.”
Sam Morgen covers local government for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Why some in Palm Springs want to pay big bucks to bury power lines
