An aerial shot of the Westin Desert Willow Villas. (Photo: Westin Vacation Club)
The Desert Willow Westin property might have been approved nearly three decades ago, but the timeshare project still isn’t quite done yet — and the timeline received a further extension this week.
The Palm Desert Planning Commission on Tuesday approved an amendment to the development agreement between the city and WVC Rancho Mirage, Inc., extending the term of the development agreement by six months to Aug. 27. The previous development agreement would have otherwise expired at the end of February.
The resort club and timeshare project was first approved in 1997, with plans for up to 300 two-bedroom units within 18 multi-story buildings. Between 2009 and 2017, 220 units were completed in 13 buildings.
While the lots are cleared for development, the construction process hasn’t started yet for the final five buildings. In 2015, the developer and city agreed to a roughly 10-year extension on the development agreement.
The six-month extension approved on Tuesday is intended to serve as a stopgap measure, providing additional time for the city and developer to work out the details of a potential longer-term extension.