Palm Desert Development Services

The City of Palm Desert is centrally located in the heart of the Coachella Valley in southeastern Riverside County. Known as the cultural and retail center of the desert communities, it has approximately 21 square miles and a population of 52,500. The City of Palm Desert Development Services Department, was created to integrate all land development planning, engineering, and building decisions into one department to streamline services to the public and the construction industry. They needed help managing portions of its services.

HR Green is providing on-call support services and staff augmentation in support of on-call building staffing, building plan check services, on-call staffing for land development planning, engineering, code compliance, technology implementation, and staff augmentation support for the Public Works Department.

• In 2021, permits for $200 million of construction valuation, including 1,060 new single-family homes, and 92,000 square feet of commercial space, were approved.
• A major 18-acre development project at Desert Willow Golf Resort, just south of the existing Desert Willow Clubhouse, was approved by the HR Green Team for plan review. The development project includes a 5.5-acre surf lagoon and wave machine, a surf center and associated facilities, 92 room hotel, 83 for-sale residential units, and a clubhouse.
• HR Green reviewed a 269-unit multifamily affordable housing community project for the City, successfully collaborating with designers, contractors, and other City departments to manage a streamlined path to plan approval, saving the City and developers time and money through an efficient and effective process.
• Other plan checks for the City of Palm Desert include residential custom homes and duplexes, commercial tenant improvements, museum buildings, and large solar reviews. All reviews are 100% electronic, with a 100% success rate in meeting plan review schedules.

The key to success with applicants and stakeholders has been through the use of electronic technology to streamline reviews, working cohesively with the City officials, and taking a proactive approach to problem-solving to provide timely turnaround to plan reviews. The on-call support allows the City the flexibility of services as the goals and needs of each department respond to current conditions.