Yucca Valley Town Staff give development updates at latest Planning Commission meeting
The Yucca Valley Planning Commission met on Tuesday (9/9) and the meeting was mostly project and land development updates from Associate Town Planner Jared Jerome.
After a quick approval of the consent agenda, the meeting was handed off to Jerome, who shared plenty of photos and plans for developments in nascent and near-complete stages.
He says that the Town is making “good progress” on the Aquatics Center, and it’s about one year out from being operational.
The Yucca Valley Senior Center should be completed sometime in the next few months.
The Athletic Facilities are moving forward as the Town has received their take permit from California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the Joshua Trees in the area. The construction on the 8-pickleball courts and parking facilities should be underway in about a month.
Yucca Trail is going to be widened from Palomar Avenue to La Contenta Road to the standard of 100 feet right of way. The CEQA process has started.
Wal-Mart is in environmental review for their fuel station and convenience store. It’s the same for Sun Mesa Mini Storage and the 980 feet Dutch Bros drive through and walk-up planned for Twentynine Palms Highway and Balsa.
All three hope to be in front of the planning commission around the end of the year.
The former Bank of America building is still in early stages for being converted to a church and coffee shop.
The facade at the Bath and Body Works is making progress.
The nearly 10,000 square foot gymnasium at Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel has been abandoned as proposed. Other projects were a higher priority, according to Jerome.
Two 18 acre subdivided parcels are being reverted to acreage and hope to be in front of the Planning Commission soon for review. Jerome said that there are several reasons for the reversion – one being that the plots contain Western Joshua Trees. The Commission briefly discussed how this goes against the state’s request for more housing.
In an email, Jerome provided further clarification: The Yucca Trail Reversion to Acreage is an 18 parcel subdivision that is being reverted to 1 parcel.
The Acoma Trail Reversion to Acreage is a 34 parcel subdivision that is being reverted to 1 parcel. This was mistakenly noted as 18 lots in the meeting’s presentation deck.
Next meeting, Tumbleweed Sanctuary is hopefully getting a review and Las Palmas’ patio construction should be breaking ground “any minute now,” says Jerome.
The Yucca Valley Materials Lab and Starbucks West are still in early stages of their developments and hope to break ground soon.
For future agenda items, Commission member Clint Stoker suggested taking native plant permits and kicking that back to Town Staff to approve since the state has taken governing authority on the permits.
The Commission agreed it was a good idea and should speed things up for those who have projects with the Planning Commission.
The next meeting of the Yucca Valley Planning Commission is September 23rd.
