Residents wary of residential development proposed for open desert just north of Joshua Tree National Park
A new residential development is being proposed for the southeast corner of Alta Loma Drive and Alta Avenue in Joshua Tree.
The development was announced on San Bernardino County’s Land Use Services website with a notice of preparation on April 22, 2026, giving the public 30 days to review and comment on the document. The process also necessitates a public scoping meeting which was held at the Joshua Tree Community Center on Thursday evening (4/30).
It’s the first in what is expected to be many meetings where the public can offer their feedback on another development planned for undeveloped land in the unincorporated community.
Development: Alta Loma Residential Project
Location: Alta Loma Drive and Alta Ave.
Project Applicant: Kazaas Holdings Inc., c/o Noesis Group
APN: 0588-131-61-0000 – Link to San Bernardino County Parcel GIS
Zone: Rural Living (RL)
Land Use: A 46.75-acre undeveloped lot that will be divided into 18 parcels between 2.5 – 2.9 acres
Homes: Single Family Residential – Single Story, 3,297 to 4,144 sq. ft, 35. ft maximum height
Extras: Swimming Pool (each parcel)
Link to CEQA information on “Alta Loma Residential Project”
The development is planned for a 46.75 acre undeveloped lot south of Alta Loma Drive – a two-lane bypass road south of Twentynine Palms Highway (HWY 62). The road connects the unincorporated Joshua Tree neighborhoods to Yucca Valley and Park Boulevard which runs into downtown Joshua Tree or Joshua Tree National Park, depending on which way you turn.
Project location is undeveloped desert
The lot is undeveloped desert and is sandwiched between the northern border of Joshua Tree National Park and Section 33, which is 632 acres of open desert owned by the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT). The non-profit is headquartered just a little farther north.
The “Notice of Proposal” says that the 46.75 parcel will be broken up in 18 individual lots ranging in size from 2.5 to 2.99 acres. Each parcel will have a single-family residential home ranging in size from 3,297 to 4,144 square feet. The homes are limited to a single story, though the maximum height for the builds is listed as 35 feet tall. The proposed parcels will also each contain a swimming pool and an individual septic system.
The development is not being described as a gated community and will have public access roads contained inside the parcel which is planned to connect to Alta Loma Drive.
There are a few homes south of the parcel toward Joshua Tree National Park, but the closest neighborhood of any density is a little over a half-mile east in the “Friendly Hills” which also sits adjacent to the National Park.
The Alta Loma parcel is about two-miles west from another proposed residential development called LoveMore Ranch, which is currently involved in a lawsuit with a group of residents and San Bernardinon County.
Public offers first round of feedback
Thursday’s meeting was held at the Joshua Tree Community Center, and was held to gather public comments or concerns over the potential environmental impact of the project.
Alia Hokuki is Vice President of PSOMAS, a company headquartered out of Riverside that was hired to prepare the Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for the project. Hokuki began the meeting with a brief description of the project and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process that necessitated the meeting. She also shared photos and possible mockups of the homes and a few clarifications from the Notice of Proposal, before promptly opening the meeting up to public comment.
Hokuki also made sure to reiterate the purpose of that night’s meeting: gathering comment on the project’s potential environmental impacts rather than the merits of the development itself.
Residents raise familiar concerns
A small group of roughly thirty residents showed up, with many familiar faces for anybody who regularly attends these types of meetings in Joshua Tree.
Broadly, there were concerns over the potential impact the development will have on native wildlife within the parcel itself as well as on adjacent undeveloped properties. Residents say that those parcels form a wildlife corridor between Joshua Tree National Park and that MDLT acreage to the north. The area that the parcel sits on and the adjacent Joshua Tree neighborhoods are known for their proximity to the same plants and animals that populate the neighboring National Park, and desert tortoise, bighorn sheep and mountain lions are known to be spotted in the area.
Morongo Basin Conservation Association (MBCA) board member David Fick said that Section 33 averages 20 Western Joshua Trees per acre, “so this (parcel) would have about 700 Joshua Trees on it. Has that been addressed at all?”
Hokuki confirmed a study was being done and will be included in the EIR.
Brendan Cummings is the Conservation Director from the Center for Biological Diversity, and he says the presence of these protected desert species are specifically why previous proposed developments in the area had previously failed.
Cummings read from a prepared statement saying “I’m also a long-time resident of Joshua Tree, so I’m familiar with the location of the parcel. And you will hear a lot more about the problems with this project in the technical written comments we will be submitting, but put simply, this project is in the wrong place.
“Notably, the parcels immediately east and north of the project were previously proposed for inappropriate development. Those projects, predictably, failed, and the parcels were acquired out of bankruptcy for conservation. History may be precedent.”
Most recently, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the Ofland Resort, a recently cancelled development next to the Indian Cove neighborhood in Twentynine Palms.
Developments challenge the “character” of Joshua Tree
The fact that each of the eighteen homes will each contain a swimming pools perked up people’s ears, with some residents making sure that a water impact study is included in the EIR.
Steve Bardwell is the President of the Morongo Basin Conservation Association (MBCA) and said that an EIR can’t be prepared without a more detailed project description, saying “I don’t see that this project is thoroughly described. For instance, given our county regulations, this 18-unit private development could be allowed to construct an accessory dwelling unit under the California regulations. Given the fact that the county’s short-term rental ordinance allows that a particular property owner can have two short-term rentals, this potentially could become a 36-unit boutique hotel.
“I believe this should be analyzed on that kind of a potential use. Because there’s nothing to say it could be done that way. So I think that the description of the project needs to be very carefully done. And consequently, I don’t think the EIR that you’re doing can really be prepared until that is more thoroughly defined.”
Other audience members brought up concerns whether the developments would fit into the character of Joshua Tree, with some citing a population that has leveled out since the boom in 2020. Alia Hokuki listened to these types of comments and said that they were noted for the record, but fell outside the scope of the current meeting.
Homes potentially lean toward luxury
Hokuki provided a slide with a rough mock-up of a single-family home, but details on the buildouts for the development weren’t included in the meeting’s presentation. The developers weren’t present at the meeting, but San Bernardino County representatives were on hand to answer questions.
The project’s applicant is Kazaas Holdings Inc., c/o Noesis Group. The Noesis Group describes themselves as “a premier full service real estate design, development and investment firm based in Beverly Hills, California. Founded in 2009, Noesis Group specializes in creating luxury residential and commercial projects, providing investors and clients alike with exceptional returns on their investments.”
Public comments open until May 20
If you missed Thursday’s meeting, the public comment period on the EIR preparation is open until May 20. Hokuki says they expect the document to be completed by summer, which will then receive additional rounds of notices and opportunities for the public to provide their feedback on all aspects of the proposed development.
While most comments stuck to the rule of not discussing the project’s desirability, one resident noted that because the meeting was “on the record” that he would like to see with a show of hands how many in audience opposed the project.
Almost every hand went up.
How to keep up with the “Alta Loma Residential Project”
You can view the Notice of Preparation at the SB County’s Land Use Services Website.
The Public Review Period is April 20, 2026 through May 20, 2026.
You can email your comments to Planning Manager Delanie Garlick at delanie.garlick@lus.sbcounty.gov
You can also mail them in to:
Delanie Garlick, Planning Manager
San Bernardino County
Land Use Services Department – Planning Division
385 North Arrowhead Avenue, First Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0187
Please include your name, phone number, and address in your response.
Stay tuned to Z107.7 News and we will let you know meetings times and project updates as they become available.
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