PALM SPRINGS MODERN COMMITTEE
ADVOCACY UPDATE

April 29, 2012

There are numerous preservation issues that the Palm Springs Modern Committee is actively engaged in that you, as members, should be aware of. Here’s an update. And please note those cases where we urge your active participation.

Alcazar Lofts: A massive five-story development called Alcazar Lofts is being proposed for the middle of the Las Palmas Historic District in the north end of town. The “pre-application” reveals a design that towers over numerous historic buildings, including the Kocher Samson Bldg. (1934, Albert Frey, nominated Class One Historic Site), Pacific Bldg. (c.1936, Spanish, Class One Historic Site), Rackstrom-Reid Bldg. (1961, Howard Lapham), and others.

The staff report details numerous project deficiencies: “The proposed development does not conform to the General Plan or the Zoning Code development standards…It also does not conform to the development standards of the high-rise ordinance and generally does not conform to the design guidelines of the Las Palmas Historic District…. Staff believes the proposed project may face significant challenges in obtaining approvals due to its significantly greater density than allowed by the General Plan or Zoning Code and its questionable ‘fit’ into the context of its site, the historic district and its surroundings.”

In reviewing the plans, PS ModCom’s attorney concluded that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is required to analyze the aesthetic impacts (the 5 stories would block views), land use impacts (due to the failure to comply with many General Plan and development standards) and because the project would provide only 60% of the required parking. By failing to comply with any of the district’s guidelines, the project would be adversely changing the immediate surroundings of the historic district.

PS ModCom’s executive director has already publicly commented at the April 23rd Architectural Advisory Committee (AAC) meeting and she, and other board members, will testify at the upcoming Historic Site Preservation Board (May 8th), Planning Commission (May 9th) and City Council (TBD) hearings as well. In addition, we will be discussing the project with City Council members and local press. Expect status updates from us in the coming days. Your testimony at any of these hearings is welcomed!

Palm Springs High School Administration Bldg: PS ModCom’s goal is to prevent the demolition of an important modern resource designed in 1957 by Wexler & Harrison by advocating for its adaptive reuse as part of a new performing arts center. In addition to a letter-writing campaign, board members have been testifying publicly about this option. We encourage you to join us at the May 8th school district board meeting where this issue will be heard. 6pm, 980 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 101, Palm Springs.

Town & Country Center: After last year’s intense advocacy where PS ModCom utilized newspaper ads, direct mail, letter-writing campaigns, public testimony, behind the scenes negotiations, and, ultimately, our support of Measure J to secure a reprieve for the Town & Country Center (T&CC), we are monitoring the progress of the Fashion Plaza project as it moves forward.

North Shore Yacht Club: Through formal public records requests, PS ModCom’s attorney has been attempting to determine if Riverside County intends on damaging the historic fabric of Albert Frey’s newly-restored North Shore Yacht Club by installing an elevator, among other potentially harmful changes.

Welwood Murray Library renovation: We are monitoring the renovation plans as they move forward through the process. The encouraging news is that it appears that the work will proceed within the library’s original historic footprint.

Class One Historic Site nominations: PS ModCom is publicly supporting the landmark designations of Frey’s Kocher Samson Building and William Cody’s Del Marcos Hotel, both of which will be heard by the City Council in the coming weeks.

Ongoing Public Testimony: One of the least glamorous but important tasks for preservation advocacy is attending/testifying at the MANY monthly hearings of the Architectural Advisory Committee (AAC), Planning Commission, Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB), and City Council. Our executive director, president, and/or board members do this on a consistent basis.

Fabulous Publicity: One of the most effective preservation tools for the past decade has been PS ModCom’s modern tour map, which sells by the hundreds every month at the Visitors Center. In its honor, here’s the first sentence from the current issue of Ft. Lauderdale’s Tropic magazine: “The Palm Springs Modern Committee’s A Map of Modern Palm Springs literally puts the mid-century wonders of that desert city’s architectural legacy on the map.” Wow. Read on…

Members, if you are interested in any particular issue please contact us and we will let you know how to get involved.

Avanti!