The Twentynine Palms City Council convened last night to discuss waiving rental fees for a church, an annual housing report, amendments to a wastewater contract, and an update on the Self-Build Housing Program. Reporter Heather Clisby was there …
Last night, the Twentynine Palms City Council heard an update from Parks and Rec on sports opportunities for adults, including a volleyball league, a weekly 5K community ParkRun, a flag football league and – coming soon – the long-awaited pickleball courts at Luckie Park.
The council moved on to a discussion on waiving rental fees for the use of the community center gym and kitchen for the Sanctuary Church’s 20th Anniversary celebration April 25-28. Recreation Division Manager Kary Minatrea provided background on the outdated policy that loosely allows for religious institutions to enjoy one free event annually on city property while non-profits have just one day per year to enjoy this benefit. (Council later added a policy discussion to a list of future agenda items.)
After much discussion and a pricing breakdown, it was decided that the council would waive rental fees for just one day, Sunday, April 28, the most expensive day at $1,397. The church would still be required to pay rent on the other days in addition to paying for insurance fees and the cleaning/damage deposit.
Next, the council heard a very brief presentation from Interim City Manager Larry Bowden from the Housing Element Annual Report which includes an overview on building permit activity. Requested by the state, the report cites the 2029 goal of adding 989 new units by the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). In 2023, the city added 27 new dwellings. So far this year, there are 13 new units permitted or completed.
The council heard about two amendments to the Project Phoenix Wastewater System Service contract with the San Bernardino Special Districts Department County Service Area 70 (CSA 70) which expires at the close of March. The amendment includes the fee for operation and maintenance for Year 4 of $71,957 and Year 5 of $74,835. The amendment also extends the term of the contract to March 31, 2026.
There was an update on the Self-Build Housing Program which allows potential homeowners to construct their own dwelling. Administered by the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC), city staff has located several clustered lots that would qualify for future home sites within this program.
Councilmember Octavious Scott, who himself benefited from the program as a child in the low desert, commented:
“As we just talked about, these unfunded mandates that the state is putting down our throats, we’re being mandated to build homes in this city. And so we have to think outside the box and we have to be creative about how we get these homes built.”
