A proposal for a large development in the Coachella Valley, near Joshua Tree National Park, is facing obstacles once again as the planning commission fails to recommend the plan move forward.
"Riverside County Planning Commissioners voted 4-1 [last week] to recommend that the board of supervisors deny plans for Paradise Valley, a proposed 8,400-home development east of Coachella [in Southern California]," reports Gabriella Paluch.
The project was first proposed in 2004, but the planning commission noted numerous issues that the development company has not resolved. "The primary issue — and potentially the costliest — between [the developer] GLC and conservation groups, according to the report, is how the destruction of critical habitat would be mitigated," says Paluch.
Insufficient emergency road access, concerns about affordable housing, and a lack of details about power infrastructure for the project are other issues that the commission cited. “All but one commissioner said they believed there was no path forward to finding a solution, since the developers had been unable to solve problems over years of consultations,” writes Paluch.
FULL STORY: Riverside County planners to supervisors: Deny Paradise Valley, a proposed 'new town' near Joshua Tree
Proposed Rail Project Would Bring Trains from L.A. to Coachella Valley
Riverside County's transportation commission is moving forward with a proposal to bring passenger rail from Los Angeles to Indio.
S.F. Bay Area City Says It Wants More Housing—But Votes Down Project
The project included everything San Bruno and residents asked for, and it would have helped the city make significant progress in addressing its growing housing crisis. Still, it was voted down.
Mayoral Housing Initiative Would Spread Affordable Housing Around D.C.
Planners are expected to play a major role in an ambitious housing initiative proposed by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association