Land bordered by Frank Sinatra Drive and Portola Road (at left) could someday contain housing, city buildings, and a regional sports park. One of the early concepts for how that would all fit on the land is seen at right.
The Palm Desert Parks and Recreation Committee voted unanimously Tuesday morning to urge city leaders to expand the size of a planned regional park in the University Neighborhood and to strengthen language ensuring the park can support sports fields, lighting and extended hours of use.
During its regular monthly meeting, the committee approved a motion recommending that the park acreage outlined in the University Neighborhood Specific Plan (UNSP) be increased beyond a previously discussed 28 acres, with several committee members suggesting a target closer to 38 acres. The motion also called for clearer provisions allowing athletic fields with stadium lighting and hours of operation consistent with existing city parks.
The discussion focused on a proposed regional park within the University Neighborhood planning area in north Palm Desert. Plans call for a mix of housing, commercial uses, open space and community facilities on the roughly 170-acre city-owned site bordered by Frank Sinatra Drive and Portola Road.
Committee members said Tuesday that the park’s size and configuration will play a key role in meeting future recreational demand as development moves forward.
City staff said multiple park concepts of varying sizes and configurations have been discussed as part of the planning process, particularly as the city evaluates how to incorporate required housing on the site. Staff said those concepts were shared for discussion purposes only and that no single, finalized park footprint has been formally established for the University Neighborhood.
We’ve said more than once that 28 acres is not enough, and it feels like we keep coming back to the same number no matter what concerns we raise.”
Several committee members said a previously discussed 28-acre concept does not go far enough, noting that athletic fields across the city are already heavily booked. One committee member expressed frustration with the process, saying, “We’ve said more than once that 28 acres is not enough, and it feels like we keep coming back to the same number no matter what concerns we raise.”
City staff told the committee that City Council has not taken formal action on the park’s final size, but provided feedback during a study session requesting flexibility in the location, size and programming of park space while balancing required housing, commercial uses and infrastructure needs. Staff emphasized that the specific plan establishes allowable land uses rather than final park designs.
Affordable housing requirements were also a recurring point of tension. Staff explained that state law gives affordable housing projects priority on city-owned land, limiting how much acreage the city can guarantee for park use. Committee members questioned whether those constraints are contributing to repeated reductions in park size and warned against losing contiguous recreational space.
The UNSP envisions parks and open spaces as the social heart of neighborhoods rather than as isolated parcels. The plan emphasizes a network of walkable parks and greens framed by surrounding development, with shade, wind protection and desert-appropriate landscaping to support year-round use.
City staff said the revised plan will be released for public review before heading to the Planning Commission, with the committee’s recommendation — including its call for additional park acreage and stronger language supporting sports fields and lighting — included in future staff reports to City Council.