Palm Springs city council approves Dream Hotel design changes following neighbor pushback

Update 6/5/23 9:25 p.m.

The Palm Springs City Council approved the design changes.

Original Report 6/5/23

The long-delayed Dream Hotel project in Palm Springs is once again going before the city council Monday.

The proposed luxury hotel and condominium construction, which has faced significant opposition from neighbors over building heights and obstructed views, has been at a standstill since 2019. However, recent design changes may finally pave the way for a compromise.

Residents living near the vacant construction site of the Dream Hotel have expressed frustration over the lack of progress on the project for the past four years.

Thomas Boudrot, a resident at the Center Court Club HOA whose unit faces the development, voiced concerns about the developer's plans to build taller condominium structures on the northwest side of the site. A recent proposal included 44-foot tall buildings that would have obstructed the community's sightlines of priceless and picturesque scenery.

"We want to see progress," Boudrot said. "What remained was two, four-story buildings on this lot here that we were really uncomfortable with. And the homeowners really felt pretty bad about it; it was going to cut not only this great view that we have but light air, sort of a quality of life issue."

In response to these concerns, the city council requested that the developer, Lauri Kibby, revise the plans and collaborate with the residents. Last week, Kibby unveiled new proposals that met the residents' demands, featuring lower building heights. The new plans include two separate two-story condo buildings, each reaching a maximum height of 23 feet.

The unexpected announcement of lower building heights came as a welcome update for residents the 20-unit Center Court community. "If they will approve the buildings as proposed, I believe that generally all of the people here in this complex will be very, very pleased," Boudrot said.

Monday's council meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Residents are expected to show their support for the new plans, while the Council will also address concerns regarding supply chain issues, site security, and a guarantee of timely construction.