This story originally appeared in Palm Springs Life
Major development projects and proposals offer a look at what’s ahead across the Coachella Valley.
illustrated map by lyndon hayes
A century ago, Palm Springs was a dusty desert town just beginning its transformation into a fashionable resort community. The modernist building boom still lay ahead, but a few early believers had already bet on the town’s promise. Today, the region faces a different question: How to make room for what comes next?
One day, electric air taxis may put the Coachella Valley within easier reach of coastal Southern California — assuming they find a place to land. The Los Angeles Times reports that a vertiport company is scouting landing sites in Los Angeles; if service reaches the desert, Palm Springs may need to consider building its own. While that future remains speculative, Palm Springs developers are already looking upward.
Here are some of the projects and proposals now in the works across the Coachella Valley.
1. Indian Canyon Drive Widening Project
Indian Canyon Drive from Garnet Avenue to Train Station Road, Palm Springs
INFRASTRUCTURE
Work on the $48.5 million Indian Canyon Drive project is scheduled to wrap in April 2027. Crews are replacing the crossing above the Union Pacific tracks with a six-lane bridge and upgrading the road near Garnet Avenue. The changes should improve access to Interstate 10 and ease cross-valley traffic
Soho Desert House is expected to open in 2027 on the former Colony 29 site, an artists’ retreat dating back almost a century. The private club will have 17 bedrooms and a 185-foot pool.
2. Soho Desert House
147 S. Tahquitz Drive, Palm Springs
PRIVATE CLUB + WELLNESS
The seven slopeside acres at 147 S. Tahquitz Drive in the Historic Tennis Club neighborhood were home to Colony 29, a scattering of six Spanish Colonial Revival structures that served as an artists’ colony and events center. Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies acquired the property for about $14.5 million in 2020 for Soho House, which Burkle controls. Founded in London in 1995 as a private club for the creative community, Soho House now operates more than 40 Houses worldwide in 19 countries.
In 2023, Burkle dropped the initial preservation and redevelopment plans, blaming bureaucratic red tape. After plan revisions, the property is expected to open in 2027 as Soho Desert House, offering 17 bedrooms, club spaces, and a 185-foot-long pool. The Soho Health Club will include therapeutic experiences such as red-light therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in addition to a juice bar.
3. Museum Residences
Northeast corner of Belardo Road and Museum Way, Palm Springs
RESIDENTIAL
Michael Braun, president of Grit Development, likes to ask, “What belongs in Palm Springs and will still make sense 10 or 20 years from now?” He’s reviewing construction documents for Museum Residences, a six-story building planned for The Graffiti Yard at Museum Way and Belardo Road, adjacent to Downtown Park, and hopes to break ground by spring 2027.
Museum Residences, a six-story project planned beside Downtown Park, could break ground in spring 2027.
Photo courtesy grit development
Braun describes the project as 45 larger, high-quality residences “with the convenience and simplicity of renting.” The residences would range from 1,200 to 2,500 square feet. He says Palm Springs needs more residents who will demand year-round services and pay property taxes.
“Tourism will obviously always be fundamental to our economy, but we believe residential is the next big opportunity.” Remote work and advances in transportation combine to open the door to newcomers. Development sites have become scarce, though, leading Braun to say, “We need to go vertical — we’re out of land.”
4. Downtown Park Amphitheater
Museum Way and Belardo Road, Palm Springs
CIVIC + ENTERTAINMENT
Four possible expansions of the Downtown Park amphitheater went before the Palm Springs Parks and Recreation Commission in May. Members leaned toward the most modest proposal, although they took no vote. Estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million, it would add 162 seats, audiovisual infrastructure, and storage that could double as a green room. A second plan, projected at $1.5 million to $2 million, would enlarge the stage to 30 by 50 feet and provide 147 additional seats.
5. Town & Country Center
Southwest corner of Andreas Road and North Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
CIVIC + PUBLIC SAFETY
Eyeing a new Fire Station No. 1, the city of Palm Springs has approved the $4 million purchase of 0.95 acres at North Indian Canyon Drive and Andreas Road from Town & Country LLC, which is tied to Grit Development. Part of the property is vacant; the rest includes commercial structures. Designed by Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones and completed in 1948, the Town & Country Center is a Class 1 Historic Site. The project would entail demolition of 171 and 181 N. Indian Canyon Drive to accommodate the station while preserving the unit at 169 N. Indian Canyon Drive. In July, the Palm Springs Historic Site Preservation Board supported the demolition. City officials expect a two-year timeline.
6. Hybrid Hotel-Condominium Tower
847 E. Andreas Road, Palm Springs
HOSPITALITY + RESIDENTIAL
The Palm Springs City Council upheld approval of the Nexus Hotel Development in November 2025, but a lawsuit was filed over the project’s environmental determination under the California Environmental Quality Act. The parties are working toward a resolution, according to the city.
The development proposed for the parking lot at 847 E. Andreas Road, between the Hilton Palm Springs and Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, includes a nine-story condominium tower with 132 units, which would reach 99 feet and include an attached five-story parking structure. Condo owners would have the option of making their units available for rent through the hotel. A seven-story hotel would have 125 rooms, and a freestanding 6,040-square-foot restaurant is also planned for the property.
7. 605 E. Sunny Dunes Road
605 E. Sunny Dunes Road, Palm Springs
MIXED USE
First-time developer Jim Landé purchased the 10,000-square-foot lot in 2022 for $360,000. Muralist John Cerney’s “Neighbors” has stood there since November 2024 as Landé inches forward on his goal of constructing a two-story mixed-use building. One obstacle: His construction partner “spectacularly went bankrupt,” he says. Yet the Palm Springs Planning Commission renewed the project entitlement in February. Landé now has a letter of intent from a popular downtown restaurant seeking an additional location. The second floor may also be used by the restaurant or as an art gallery. A 1,000-square-foot caretaker’s apartment on the second floor would be included. As Joe Coffee moves into the Howard Lapham–designed complex next door at 577 E. Sunny Dunes Road, a shared vision of a destination neighborhood is emerging. Estimated cost for the 5,000-square-foot building: $4.5 million. Looking to the future, Landé says he’s “hoping to help make a place” and that 25 years from now, success in Greater Palm Springs will be defined not by how much capacity has been built “but whether we created places people care about.”
A rendering of Cotino Bay Beach, Dining, Shops shows the public-facing Town Center.
Photo courtesy cotino: a storyliving by disney community
8. Cotino: A Storyliving by Disney Community
Monterey Avenue between Gerald Ford and Frank Sinatra drives, Rancho Mirage
RETAIL + DINING + RECREATION
Disney announced in August that six Town Center retail and hospitality tenants at Cotino Bay Beach, Dining, Shops will open by spring 2027.
For eco-friendly household goods, shoppers will be able to visit the third Coachella Valley location of It Refills, joining stores in Palm Desert and Indio. Mojave Flea Trading Post, known in Palm Springs and Yucca Valley, presents a rotating lineup of crafted and vintage goods, including clothing, accessories, artwork, and apothecary items.
The new restaurants offer Mexican and Italian flavors: Asada Cantina + Kitchen of San Clemente and SottoSopra, an offshoot of Sottovoce Café in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. They’re joined by the regional favorite Big Juice and La Dolce Piccola Gelateria, which also has a Palm Desert location.
These six enterprises join the previously announced Elevare restaurant, Artigiano coffee shop, and On the Mark Fine Foods & Provisions. Public access to Town Center will be through a dedicated entrance on Monterey Avenue.
Details about ticketed public admission to Cotino Bay Beach are coming soon. As the Parr House community center marks its first anniversary, residential development continues, including move-in-ready options. Other amenities, such as sports courts, are in place. “We also plan to host community events, including farmers markets, live music, and seasonal programming,” says Claire Bilby, senior vice president and general manager of Storyliving by Disney.
9. College of the Desert Arts Concept
73450 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert
ARTS + EDUCATION
Jordan Schnitzer, president and CEO of Schnitzer Properties, has discussed a potential joint venture at the College of the Desert Golf Center. A McCallum Theatre trustee and donor, he envisions an art colony on the driving range adjacent to the theater, with possibilities including a sculpture garden, a collaboration with Desert X, an art museum, educational programming, and artists-in-residence.
“We’re still having those discussions, but they’re complicated,” Schnitzer says. “The good news is the College of the Desert has lots of land. In my opinion, they don’t need that site for further expansion.”
The idea tracks with Schnitzer’s longtime involvement in the arts. ARTnews named him one of its Top 200 Collectors in 2023, and his collection includes over 500 works by David Hockney. He is also behind the upcoming exhibition The Grammar of Jim Dine: Works From the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, opening Nov. 21 at Palm Springs Art Museum.
10. The Shops on El Paseo expansion
West end of El Paseo between Highway 74 and Sage Lane, Palm Desert
RETAIL + DINING
Chartwell Properties got involved on El Paseo in the mid-1980s, when, as president Fred Fern recalls, the street was just getting started. “There was, like, one nice building on the street, which is what I’m sitting in now,” he says. “I think it was eight blocks or nine blocks, and there was like three buildings on the whole street.” Now, he says, Chartwell owns most of the buildings on the first two blocks. Its latest acquisition adds three buildings totaling about 60,000 square feet to the company’s existing 110,000 square feet.
Executive vice president Ed Levy calls the purchase an investment in Palm Desert’s future and in what El Paseo brings to the city. “We’ve seen a transition to more lifestyle shopping, different types of brands versus luxury, and that will be the hot thing for a decade or so,” he says. “And then maybe something else will come and replace that, and that’s the way things work.” For Chartwell, the shift means looking for tenants that complement one another.
RH Palm Desert is part of the mix. Its 10,000-square-foot design gallery occupies a Chartwell property. The brand plans to open a third El Paseo location in spring 2027 — an outdoor furniture showroom and café. “It’s really exciting,” says Amy Smith, Chartwell’s senior vice president. “They’re very hot on the street and very bullish on Palm Desert.”
Why the confidence? Levy points to seasonal nonstop flights into Palm Springs International Airport from New York, D.C., Newark, Charlotte, and Atlanta. “That’s unthought-of years ago,” he says. Smith cites the valley’s healthcare and rise of remote work. “The Zoom world and working remotely is so ingrained in us,” she says. “Everybody found out this is the best place to be.”
11. Schnitzer properties El Paseo Block
El Paseo, Portola Avenue, Larrea Street, and Prickly Pear Lane, Palm Desert
RETAIL + ARTS
Schnitzer Properties has acquired the El Paseo block containing Mitch’s on El Paseo and the Denise Roberge Building. Jordan Schnitzer, the company’s president and CEO, is working with an architect on possibilities for the Denise Roberge Building, with art among the options.
“I’ll either use it for a Schnitzer Collection art program or lease it to a major art dealer,” he says.
A site plan for Cocun Wellness Resort shows a hotel, residences, wellness facilities, pools, and public spaces on 15 acres.
Photo courtesy city of indian wells
12. Cocun Wellness Resort
Northwest corner of Highway 111 and Miles Avenue, Indian Wells
WELLNESS + RESORT + RESIDENTIAL
Summit Development submitted its application for Cocun Wellness Resort to Indian Wells in November 2024. According to a project spokesperson, the developer responded to the city’s latest comments on Aug. 12 and hopes to receive municipal approval within about six months; state and federal permits are also in progress. Described as an “integrated wellness ecosystem,” the project would occupy 15 vacant acres along Highway 111 at Miles Avenue.
Stretching between the highway and the Whitewater River Storm Channel, the site adjoins Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa and lies within a half mile of Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Cocun would rise where the Delano Hotel was once authorized before that project fizzled during the COVID-19 pandemic; plans also call for reinforcing the adjacent river channel.
The design effort brings together experts in an array of disciplines, from architecture and hospitality to neuroscience and sensory design. “The current wellness and hospitality paradigm operates in silos,” says David Delrahim, founder of Cocun Research Institute. “The emerging paradigm thinks in ecosystems.”
A preliminary rendering shows a seven-story hotel, twin seven-story condo buildings, and a four-story wellness center with outlying single-story structures. Residential plans call for 10 bungalows and 11 two-story villas, along with a two-story clubhouse. The wellness center would include water-based therapies, with other programming still being developed. Plans also call for publicly accessible landscape and gathering areas near Miles Avenue and Highway 111, while some food-and-beverage, wellness, and community experiences are expected to be accessible beyond hotel guests and residents. Rather than surface lots, Cocun intends to provide underground parking with 561 spaces. Construction could start in 2029 and be completed by 2032.
“Twenty-five years from now, I believe the most important change in wellness hospitality will be that we stop separating where we sleep, what we eat, how we move, how we heal, how we connect and the environments that surround us,” Delrahim says. “Cocun is exploring what happens when we design all of those things as one connected ecosystem, with quality of life as the organizing principle.”
13. Plaza La Quinta
78267 Highway 111, La Quinta
RETAIL + DINING
Schnitzer Properties’ West Coast retail portfolio encompasses 18 shopping centers, including Plaza La Quinta and One Eleven Town Center in Palm Desert. Jordan Schnitzer, president and CEO, sees the region’s draw as a mix of its proximity to Los Angeles, weather, and cultural amenities — “a winning combination for real estate opportunities in the Coachella Valley.”
At Plaza La Quinta, the former Beer Hunter space will be divided for new tenants. “We have two exciting restaurants that I can’t quite announce, and an amazing design by Kristi Hanson Architects,” Schnitzer says. Development is expected in 2027, with an opening in 2028.
Coral Mountain Desert Club brings low-slung buildings, pools, and desert landscaping to La Quinta.
Photo courtesy coral mountain desert club
14. Coral Mountain Desert Club
Avenue 58 and Madison Street, La Quinta
PRIVATE CLUB + RESIDENTIAL
Construction has begun at the $400 million Coral Mountain Desert Club in La Quinta, bordering the Santa Rosa Wilderness Area. “I’ve thought of our parcel as being the best remaining large parcel because we are up against the mountains,” says Graham Culp, principal at Meriwether Companies, which acquired the 400 acres in 2019. He calls it Greater Palm Springs’ first “large-scale private club” in 20 years. Membership would include privileges at nearby Thermal Beach Club, a 20-acre wave basin due for completion in 2029.
The “modern approach” entails racket courts being “built with purpose, not after the fact.” Initial clearing has begun on the David McLay Kidd golf course, with earthwork contractors mobilized. About 300 residences are planned, a mix of developer-built and custom homes with what Culp calls “a contemporary vibe.” Homesites are expected to go on sale in January 2027, with owner construction beginning late that year and homes delivered in late 2028.
Quarter-acre lots will predominate; most houses will be in the 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot range. Culp says the amenities, architecture, and overall master plan are “geared to target a next generation of buyers in the Coachella Valley.” That approach extends to home size. “I don’t know many people in this generation that want a massive home, right?” Smaller club cottages will cluster around the 18th green, not far from the sports area. An undulating pump track for bikes and skateboards will be part of the mix. For those with a taste for massive houses, a few 1-acre estate sites will be available.
15. Lapis Racing at The Thermal Club
61980 Tyler St., Thermal
AUTOMOTIVE + MEMBER AMENITIES
Lapis, which operates Ferrari of Rancho Mirage, is completing a 30,000-square-foot Lapis Racing building at The Thermal Club. “A clubhouse, for lack of a better word,” says company founder Todd Blue. The facility will provide trackside support and entertainment for Ferrari customers, including teams involved in the Ferrari Challenge racing series, which returns to Thermal in 2027.
Blue describes Goree Whitfield’s design as a California farmhouse amid the surrounding industrial and modernist buildings. It includes a large kitchen and balconies for race spectators. “We wanted to do something different.”
He calls The Thermal Club “the newest icon of the desert” and expects the country-club racetrack to play an increasingly important role. “It offers the ability to drive on the track in a safe yet unrestricted way and is going to become more and more in demand as society changes and regulation continues.”