Update: 12:35 PM on 8/30/24 – The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians sent a response, so we’ve removed the line that stated the opposite.
The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is proposing to build a new travel center in Yucca Valley. The proposed site will be on the southeast corner of Highway 62 and Camino Del Cielo, located across the highway from the Field Station Joshua Tree Hotel.
The travel center will not be subject to approvals from the Town of Yucca Valley, as explained by Deputy Town Manager Shane Stueckle at the recent Yucca Valley Planning Commission meeting.
“They have been going through a process for approximately the last two years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to have that designated as Tribal Land. It’s my understanding that the process has been completed. As Tribal Land it is a sovereign nation, and therefore the Town has no jurisdiction over the issuance of permits or any of those types of activities.”
While the project will not be subject to typical building permits administered by the Town, permits will be required for any building that cuts into town streets. The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians did contact Town Staff regarding an encroachment permit for water service to the site.
The intersection of Highway 62 and Camino Del Cielo will also host a new monument sign for the Town of Yucca Valley. At their April 16 meeting, the Town Council approved the southwest corner of the intersection as the intended site, and the Town recently closed a Call for Artists for signage designs. The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Commission will review the submissions, after which any selected design will be subject to an 8-week public comment period.
The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians reached out to Z107.7 and said it’s too early in the development process to provide comment.
