Oswit Land Trust receives first grant to fund Prescott Preserve plans

Erin Rode, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·4 min read
Oswit Land Trust purchased the Mesquite Golf Course and it will be converted into a desert nature preserve, called the Prescott Preserve, in Palm Springs, Calif., on July 26, 2022.
Oswit Land Trust purchased the Mesquite Golf Course and it will be converted into a desert nature preserve, called the Prescott Preserve, in Palm Springs, Calif., on July 26, 2022.

Oswit Land Trust has received its first grant for the organization's plans to convert the Mesquite Golf Club into a nature preserve, just a few weeks after a lawsuit filed against Oswit alleged the land trust purchased the golf course without plans for how it will fund the conversion project.

The Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy approved a $163,850 grant for the Oswit Land Trust's golf course conversion plans on Monday.

"We are grateful to CVMC for its trust and support of this important work. We are proud to have partnered with CVMC on every acquisition we have done to date and thrilled to have them at our side for the creation of Prescott Preserve," said Oswit Land Trust Executive Director Jane Garrison in a statement on Tuesday.

The money will be used for the project's planning stage, and Oswit Land Trust will use the grant to hire a restoration company and a landscape architecture company to work on the project's design.

"This grant kicks off the next four months of planning which will include an entire biological resource assessment of the property for every plant, tree, pond, bird and wildlife on the property. This data will be used to determine exactly what the property can become and how the design will integrate public use and wildlife. Soil samples, tree assessments, design schematics, community outreach, and more will be included in the planning phase," according to a press release from Oswit Land Trust.

Oswit Land Trust announced its purchase of the Mesquite Golf Club in July, saying it would rename the course the Prescott Preserve after longtime Palm Springs resident Brad Prescott, whose foundation purchased the land and donated it to the trust.

Plans for the Prescott Preserve include restoring the golf course to natural desert habitat, with walking and biking trails available for public use. Garrison has called the project a "central preserve" — akin to Manhattan's Central Park — for Palm Springs.

HOA suing over golf course conversion

The homeowners association at Mesquite Country Club has taken issue with this plan, and is suing to try to stop Oswit from turning the golf course into a nature preserve.

In a complaint filed in Riverside County Superior Court on Aug. 12, the Mesquite Country Club Condominium Homeowners Association argues that converting the golf course to a nature preserve violates the legally binding "covenants, conditions and restrictions," or CC&Rs, that govern the community. Those CC&Rs provide for "the construction, maintenance, and continued operation of an 18-hole golf course," the complaint states.

The HOA has also taken issue with the possible costs of the project, and how much the association will be expected to contribute toward those costs.

"Importantly, Oswit has not described this proposed project in detail and has not explained how much it will cost, how long it will take or how Oswit proposes to fund the project to completion," states the complaint, which adds that Oswit is asking the HOA "to fund unknown amounts toward the conversion project."

The HOA has stopped paying rent of about $20,000 per month, which Garrison says Oswit was relying on for maintenance costs related to the property.

"Oswit has demanded that we continue to pay $20,000 rent per month under the lease, while the HOA receives no benefits in exchange, and while Oswit radically changes the use of the land subject to the lease.  However, it is not our obligation to maintain Oswit’s property," wrote members of the HOA's Board of Directors in an opinion piece published in The Desert Sun last month. 

The HOA alleges that Oswit has not provided specific details regarding development plans, the cost of developing the preserve, how Oswit plans to fund these costs, or the project's timeline.

"Why anyone would purchase a 125-acre golf course without the financial ability to maintain or operate it is a mystery, and emphasizes the risk to our community from Oswit having 'put the cart before the horse,'" states the opinion piece.

Oswit Land Trust purchased the Mesquite Golf Club and it will be converted into a desert nature preserve, called the Prescott Preserve, in Palm Springs, Calif., on July 26, 2022.
Oswit Land Trust purchased the Mesquite Golf Club and it will be converted into a desert nature preserve, called the Prescott Preserve, in Palm Springs, Calif., on July 26, 2022.

In response, Garrison wrote "to insinuate that we would purchase 120 acres without a plan is ludicrous," pointing to the land trust's work on past acquisitions in the Palm Springs area.

At the end of the four-month planning phase, a "detailed map, 3D modeling and design" will be released to the public, and the final design and construction documents will then be used to apply for restoration grants in early 2023, according to Oswit Land trust.

Oswit has launched a public survey on its website regarding the project, and also will be holding Zoom presentations over the next few months on the project. The first Zoom presentation is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. 

Erin Rode covers the environment for the Desert Sun. Reach her at erin.rode@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @RodeErin. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Oswit Land Trust receives grant for Golf Course project