Much-debated La Quinta apartment complex OK'd by city council; it will have 252 units

A much-debated proposal to build a 252-unit apartment complex along a main road in La Quinta gained unanimous approval from the city council Tuesday, following months of changes to the project due to prior pushback from neighboring residents.

Known as La Quinta Village Apartments, the development at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Avenue 50 had its first public hearing back in March. In subsequent meetings, many nearby residents have criticized the project’s potential impacts on traffic and parking, along with raising other issues.

Developer Jeff Parker and his team cut about 30 apartments from their initial plans in response to some of the residents' concerns. Later, in August, the city council asked the developer to get rid of the proposal's three-story buildings and garages and adjust its architectural style.

After several rounds of changes, nobody from the neighboring community spoke against the project during its final hearing Tuesday, with the council approving the project in short order.

What's in the project?

Most apartments at the complex will be sold at market-rate prices, while 74 units will be at “moderate” rates, starting at a monthly rent of $2,079 for a one-bedroom space, as set by state formulas. To qualify for the moderate rates, a single-person household must make between 80% and 120% of Riverside County’s median income, or no more than $79,400. The project does not specifically allocate any units for people with low incomes.

Plans for the La Quinta Village Apartments include covered parking, a clubhouse, a pool, a spa, barbeque areas, a putting course, a pickleball court and a dog park for its residents. The project calls for 12 two-story buildings, one more building than in previous plans that featured some three-story structures.

The developer's team also offered an incentive as part of the project to roughly double the capacity of a nearby Imperial Irrigation District electrical substation that serves the surrounding community.

The 14-acre corner site was previously zoned for a senior community, known as “La Paloma,” which was set to include individual, assisted living and memory care units. Plans for that community, which were approved by the city in 2004, fell through due to economic challenges.

Under the approved proposal, La Quinta also will revise its Housing Element, a state-mandated plan for the city to address its long-term housing needs.

The city’s existing Housing Element identifies the site for 280 low-income units, so approving the current proposal meant the city had to identify a new spot for potential affordable housing. Otherwise, the city risked falling out of compliance with its housing plan and jeopardizing some of its state funding.

The developer initially identified a roughly 12-acre site at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Fred Waring Drive as an alternative for potential affordable housing. But the owner of that property pushed back against the new designation, telling the council they eventually plan to build a commercial development there near the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The council delayed a vote on the project earlier this month to identify some alternative sites that could be designated for new affordable housing under the city’s revised Housing Element. Ultimately, the council agreed to designate some land at the northeast corner of Dune Palms Road and Highway 111, which the city recently bought for $3.6 million, for 180 low-income units.

The council also designated a 7.5-acre parcel south of the just-approved La Quinta Village Apartments for 64 units of low-income housing under the state-mandated plan. City officials are currently reviewing an application for an affordable housing project at that site.

The final site selected by the council — in lieu of the prior location near the Indian Wells Tennis Garden — was a 4.8-acre parcel north of Darby Road and east of Palm Royale Drive. The land, which is owned by an affordable housing developer, could accommodate 57 affordable units, and city staff notified the landowner of the potential designation ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.

The construction timeline for the La Quinta Village Apartments is unclear, as project officials did not offer an estimate for when the two-story complex will be built during Tuesday’s meeting. The project won't move forward with building until state housing officials approve the city's revised Housing Element.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Much-debated La Quinta apartment complex approved after changes