One year ago this month we shared our excitement on all of the changes taking place in downtown Palm Springs. Since then, progress has steadily continued and, while cities everywhere are scrambling to create a walkable downtown environment, Palm Springs is building on its existing assets to transform itself into an entertainment, cultural, and lifestyle center desired by so many.
All said, the completed downtown project will span 13.5 acres, offering more than 110,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space, in addition to a number of new residential units and hotel rooms- all driving the economic vitality of one of the best cities in the country (if we do say so ourselves).
Some recent developments:
- Kimpton has announced plans to break ground on its new luxury hotel this October. Construction for the six-story, 155-room hotel will run about 16 months.
- Building permits should begin being issued this summer, with plans for the majority of the project to be complete by the end of 2015 and early 2016.
- College of the Desert has plans to transform the defunct Palm Springs Mall, a 48-year-old structure that has sat mostly vacant for years, into a West Valley campus with room for 3,000 students.
- And, very importantly, the focus on redevelopment is reaching other areas of the city with several new and soon-to-open businesses on the north and south ends of Palm Springs; all thanks to a new economic development incentive program that has awarded more than $845,000 to local businesses.
