At its meeting on Tuesday evening, the Twentynine Palms Planning Commission approved the site plan for a proposed Dollar General store on the north side of Twentynine Palms Highway, between 49 Palms and Datura. Diverse issues were aired and resolved to the Commission’s satisfaction, including – a bus turnout easement, waste water treatment, burrowing owls, Indian remains, wheelchair access, trash enclosures.
The Commission decided to send some member to any meeting of the City Council at which an issue that has been discussed by the Commission, is on the Council’s agenda.
Most of the meeting was given over to the recurrent topic of over-concentration of certain types of businesses – specifically, tattoo parlors, nail salons, barber shops, massage parlors, bars, and smoke shops. Little new ground was broken in the discussion, as the members rehashed the issues of problem perception, health and safety inspections, signage, impact upon tourism, separation distances, and the sanctity of the free market. Commissioner Bill Easter indicated that the overconcentration that concerned him most was that of empty commercial buildings. The Commission decided to defer any further discussion to the context of the planned thorough review of the City’s Development Code.
