Indio planning commission recommends approval of revised Madison Pointe project

The Indio Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend that the City Council approve the first phase of the Madison Pointe mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Highway 111 and Madison Street, clearing a significant hurdle for a project that has been revised multiple times since it was first proposed years ago.

The commission’s recommendation covers three buildings on 3.71 acres: a 2,400-square-foot Starbucks with drive-through, a 3,060-square-foot marketplace and convenience store with an L3 Energy ultra-fast electric vehicle charging station and commercial battery storage, and a 5,500-square-foot multi-tenant retail building.

The vote came after Principal Planner Gustavo Gomez presented the revised project, which no longer includes a Quick Quack car wash that commissioners had rejected at the Feb. 25 meeting.

At that February hearing, the commission voted to continue the item and directed the developer to remove the car wash, finding that it failed to meet the Highway 111 Corridor Specific Plan’s placemaking vision by neglecting pedestrian focus in favor of an auto-oriented use and lacking a strong visual identity. The item was continued again at the March 25 meeting to allow city departments to complete their review of the revised plans.

The lot where the car wash had been proposed will remain vacant. The applicant will be required to obtain one or more planning review permits before any construction can occur on that parcel.

A commissioner raised questions Wednesday about the safety of the commercial battery storage system proposed alongside the EV charging station, asking whether there were risks of leakage or explosions. Staff noted the fire department had reviewed the system and that conditions of approval were added to address fire safety concerns.

Discussion also focused on a temporary stormwater retention basin proposed on the site. After deliberation, the commission incorporated conditions requiring the applicant to landscape the basin and install a wrought iron fence if it exceeds five feet in depth, with the permanent basin to be constructed and the temporary one removed as determined by the city engineer.

The Madison Pointe project has undergone extensive changes since Schmid Desert Investments LLC first received Planning Commission approval in November 2022 for a master planned development that included up to 400 senior housing units, a 130-key hotel, 30,000 square feet of medical office space, and 15,500 square feet of commercial retail. The developer later determined the senior housing component was not financially viable, citing flat rents and high construction costs, and shifted to a plan calling for approximately 300 market-rate apartments in two- and three-story buildings along with a hotel.

The Phase 1 commercial component is intended to serve as the first implementing project under the approved master planned development permit for the 20.2-acre site, which the developer’s representative previously described as part of a roughly 40-acre development opportunity when combined with land they acquired across the street.

The project now moves to the City Council for final action.

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