With city staff present in the background, Mayor Evan Trubee fields questions from residents at his first Coffee with the Mayor event held Wednesday morning.
Palm Desert Mayor Evan Trubee fielded questions about development, traffic and maintaining the city’s small-town appeal during his first Coffee With the Mayor event Wednesday morning at the Palm Desert Entrepreneurial Resource Center that drew more than a dozen residents and twice that number of city staff standing by to provide assistance with Trubee’s answers.
Trubee, who was appointed mayor in December after being elected to the City Council in 2022, highlighted two major projects coming in 2026 while addressing resident concerns about balancing growth with preserving Palm Desert’s character: A surf park is scheduled to open in late spring or early summer off Desert Willow Drive, and groundbreaking will begin this year on a new city-owned library set to open in summer 2027.
Following his remarks, residents asked a wide-ranging set of questions touching on how the city is managing growth, how new development could affect traffic and infrastructure, and whether Palm Desert can continue to maintain the character that longtime residents say drew them to the city.
Balancing Growth and Character
One resident expressed concern about maintaining Palm Desert’s small-town nature amid large-scale development plans.
“I love the small town nature of this town, and I’m afraid with all these giant plans you have, it’s not going to remain so,” she said.
Trubee acknowledged the concern but said the city cannot close the door to growth.
“I can’t close the door behind me,” Trubee said. “The same things I love about this desert and this town, I have to share with everybody, and then open the door for other folks to move in and enjoy it as well.”
The mayor noted Palm Desert currently has about 53,000 residents and expects a buildout population of 70,000 to 75,000. Another resident who has lived in Palm Desert since 1990 defended the city’s approach to development, saying officials have done a great job of keeping Palm Desert true to itself while managing growth in a controlled way.
Trubee emphasized that the city’s financial stability allows Palm Desert to manage growth more effectively than other valley cities. He noted that property tax alone does not cover the cost of serving residents, making tourism-related tax revenue essential for funding services like fire and public safety.
A rendering of what DSRT Surf could look like once opened at Desert Willow Golf Resort.
Desert Surf Park Details
The DSRT Surf project drew several questions, particularly about water use in the desert. Trubee said the project will have a net positive water impact by converting some green areas at Desert Willow Golf Course to desert landscaping.
“They offset the water usage so that it actually has a net positive,” Trubee said. “In other words, we’ll be using less water overall once this park is up and running.”
The surf park, being built near the Ralphs shopping center area, will accommodate up to 70 surfers at a time and is expected to draw thousands of visitors annually while generating sales tax revenue for the city.
Library Expansion
Residents also asked about improvements to the city’s library, which Trubee said has already seen increased use since transitioning to city-run operations on July 1. Monthly visitors have grown from about 7,000 to roughly 11,000.
The new library will be built on the Civic Center campus after the demolition of the currently vacant Park View building, which the city previously leased to various entities.
Infrastructure and Environmental Concerns
Traffic concerns surfaced repeatedly during the discussion, with residents asking about congestion and whether infrastructure is keeping pace with development. City staff addressed questions about CV Link, traffic signal synchronization and potential impacts from projects such as Disney’s planned Cotino development in Rancho Mirage.
Environmental issues also came up, particularly dust mitigation following Tropical Storm Hilary in 2023. City staff said wind screens and sand screens have been installed throughout northern Palm Desert to help keep dust and sand off streets and sidewalks. Staff noted that construction activity can disturb soil, creating dust issues the city continues to work to minimize.
Residents who attended a morning chat with Mayor Evan Trubee praised the CV Link pathway and said they hoped for more connectivity to the path both in the city and through neighboring cities.
Mayor’s Motivation
Trubee, who moved to Palm Desert in the 1990s and owns Big Wheel Tours, said his motivation for serving comes from gratitude for what the city has provided him.
“Palm Desert gives me everything. I’m so pleased with the city,” Trubee said. “I just want to make sure that for the next generation — whoever wants to move here and start a business and raise a family or have a career — I want them to have that same opportunity and have the same quality of life that I’ve enjoyed.”
The mayor also praised city staff, noting that the City Council receives agendas backed by extensive research and preparation from approximately 160 city employees.
“They’re the ones who guide us,” Trubee said. “They’ve done the bulk of the legwork — all the legwork, really — to provide us all the information we need to make wise, hopefully well-informed decisions.”