The Palm Desert Historic Preservation Committee voted 4-3 Wednesday to approve a certificate of appropriateness allowing the Sandpiper Circles 5-10 Historic District to repaint all exterior building surfaces in a lighter color, over objections from residents and preservation professionals who argued the homeowners association bypassed scientific analysis and an open process in selecting the color.
Associate Planner Bobby Keating presented the application on behalf of the Sandpiper Owners Association for Circles 5-10, telling the committee the proposed color does not obscure or alter character-defining architectural features and maintains a neutral palette consistent with mid-century modern design principles.
"Staff finds the project consistent with the Municipal Code and the Secretary of Interior standards," Keating said.
The Sandpiper Circles 5-10 Historic District, located south of El Paseo and west of Highway 74, was designated by the Palm Desert City Council in 2017. The development was designed by architectural firm Palmer and Krisel and is recognized as an example of mid-century modern residential design.
The chair of the HOA's paint committee told the committee the proposed color aligns with historic photographs — including an image by noted photographer Julius Shulman — as well as paint visible beneath peeled layers on existing structures. He said an HOA poll showed 26 residents favored the lighter color and 10 preferred a darker alternative.
Friesen also cited comments by an expert on architect William Krisel who said at an HOA meeting that "the one color that my father would not approve is the current color," attributing the remark to Krisel's son.
But several members of the public challenged both the process and the color selection.
One Sandpiper Circle 6 owner of more than 25 years told the committee the board had promised homeowners a forum and a vote on the color, but filed the certificate of appropriateness application in February before a resident poll was even conducted. She said only 36 of 96 homeowners responded to that poll.
"I feel the board's treating our historical designation as an obstacle to their desire for a color change, instead of the responsibility that the stewardship of a historically significant property entails," she said.
Sian Winship, identified as president of the Society of Architectural Historians and a professor of heritage conservation at USC, and a contributing author to a book on Krisel's work, urged the committee to deny the application and require a paint striation test before any color is approved.
William Krisel and Dan Palmer at left along with the Sandpiper development.
"A paint striation test is the only way to scientifically and objectively determine the authentic paint colors," Winship said.
Winship said such a test systematically removes layers of paint, maps their history and matches historic colors to the Munsell color system. She said a preservation firm used that method at Ocotillo Lodge. She also cited an estimate of $2,000 per circle, or $125 per unit, for the testing.
Robert Kinsey, a 15-year Sandpiper resident and former HOA board member, echoed the call for paint striation testing and said the board's color choice had not been professionally verified as historically accurate.
Committee members raised additional questions about whether the HOA had exhausted all available research methods, including a review of the Krisel archives or consultation with other Krisel-designed developments.
One committee member noted that Sandpiper circle four had been repainted without going through the certificate of appropriateness process, though staff clarified that circle four received its historic designation after the repainting had already taken place.
Staff told the committee that the certificate of appropriateness process requires a finding of color compatibility — not proof of an original color match.