Palm Desert council to review park plans, animal control overhaul, development agreement Thursday

Palm Desert officials will take up a wide-ranging agenda Thursday that includes early decisions on future park space in the city’s growing north end, a full rewrite of the city’s animal control laws, and long-delayed updates to a major development agreement tied to the Millennium Specific Plan.

The City Council will begin with a study session at 1:45 p.m., followed by a closed session at 3:15 p.m. and the regular meeting at 4 p.m.

During the afternoon study session, the council will receive an update on efforts to create new park space in the city’s North Sphere, where public outreach has shown a significant demand for athletic fields—particularly for soccer and football.

The city has been exploring two potential park sites: a 22-acre main park proposed within the 170-acre University Neighborhood Specific Plan area at Portola Avenue and Frank Sinatra Drive, and a 29.5-acre sports park on the California State University San Bernardino–Palm Desert campus near Cook Street and Gerald Ford Drive.

CSUSB has indicated willingness to lease its land for a city-operated facility, but initial terms include an annual ground lease of about $250,000, a construction estimate of roughly $50 million, and long-term maintenance costs. The university would also request designated field time, security provisions and parking restrictions. The Parks and Recreation Committee has raised concerns that the 22-acre park proposed in the UNSP may be too small and has asked for more review.

Staff are asking the council to weigh in on how many parks the North Sphere should include, how large they should be and which site—or combination of sites—best meets community needs.

In the regular session, the council is expected to introduce an ordinance that would overhaul Palm Desert’s animal control rules for the first time since 1998.

he update would modernize the city’s laws by adding mandatory microchipping and spay/neuter requirements, clarifying licensing rules, and strengthening enforcement tools related to noisy animals, dangerous dogs, backyard breeding, animal neglect and illegal animal sales.

City staff opted not to adopt Riverside County’s ordinance wholesale, saying some county rules would weaken local enforcement. Instead, the proposal selectively incorporates county standards while preserving city-specific regulations such as prohibitions on livestock in residential areas and requirements that owners clean up after their pets.

The council will also review a series of proposed revisions to the development agreement governing the Millennium Specific Plan, which covers several large parcels near Portola Avenue, Gerald Ford Drive and Dinah Shore Drive.

Several conditions tied to the original 2015 agreement were never completed, including sidewalks, tree line plantings and landscaping improvements. The proposed changes would require the developer to finish those obligations, remove references to the abandoned Mid-Valley Bike Path, and clarify responsibilities for drainage, medians and other shared infrastructure.

The city is also considering dissolving the Millennium Master Association, which oversees maintenance responsibilities across the project area, in favor of simpler cost-sharing agreements.

Thursday’s meetings will take place at Palm Desert City Hall, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive. Members of the public may attend any portion of the open sessions.