Indio Planning Commission reviews plans for 50-home subdivision

The Indio Planning Commission learned more about a proposed 50-unit single-family home development and recommended more work be done on the plans due to traffic concerns.

The gated development, Estrella Estates, would be located on a 5.65-acre site east of Jackson Street and north of Avenue 50 near L & G Desert Store. Plans call for 50 two-story detached single-family homes ranging in size from approximately 2,185 to 2,476 square feet.

Assistant Planner Nikolas Guitron presented the project consultation at the Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday and said that while the General Plan does not specifically prohibit gated communities, “[it] encourages connected neighborhoods, public streets, connectivity and residential designs that limit gated development.”

A developer working on the project noted the gate was there, “mostly to appease the people that may buy there.”

The proposed subdivision includes internal private streets, sidewalks, perimeter fencing, street landscaping and a landscaped on-site stormwater basin with infiltration.

The project proposes a single gated entry at the primary access point from Avenue 50, which commissioners said might lead to traffic if the two-car stacking was not revised.

Developers said they would reexamine the stacking and city staff said a traffic study still needed to be done.

Commissioners also wanted developers to keep a close eye on parking availability, especially if the homes are meant to serve multigenerational families. They also supported setting back the garages more and improving the look of the neighborhood along the entrance on Avenue 50.

Though developers would not commit to a price estimate for the homes, they did say that when the project eventually comes to market, they would be priced slightly lower than the market rate.

“So that will help with the affordability and the wait it’s built, the project is built with the intention that it may be a generational home,” said a broker working on the project.

The site has a General Plan 2040 land use designation of Suburban Neighborhood High and is zoned Suburban Neighborhood 8. All proposed lots meet or exceed the required minimum 4,500-square-foot lot size, and all residential structures comply with the maximum building height of 35 feet.

Because developers were only seeking a project consultation with the commission, no formal action was taken. The developer will have to return with Tentative Tract Map and Planning Review Discretionary applications, both of which require Planning Commission review.

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