A local writer argues that development is putting the unique character of Palm Springs in peril by taking advantage of the city's Planned Development Districts.
Frank Tysen writes a scathing op-ed about an ongoing threat to the character of the city of Palm Springs: the Planned Development District (PDD). "The idea is to allow difficult to develop projects to proceed by providing some zoning concessions in exchange for clearly stated public benefits," writes Tysen. "Unfortunately, those benefits are usually very superficial and meaningless."
The consequence of the PDD in Palm Springs, according to Dysen, is a wave of new developers, "many from Orange County, who only see this city as a cash cow," because "We have basically become a town without zoning and planning."
Tysen supplies a list of the business and places that have disappeared from Palm Springs that he believes made the city unique. The solution to this encroachment of development, Tysen believes, is "to get the PDD monster under control."
FULL STORY: Is Palm Springs destined to become Orange County?
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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