Planning Commission approves upscale bed and breakfast compound in John Nobles neighborhood

The Indio Planning Commission voted 3-1 to approve the development of a 32,000-square-foot bed and breakfast compound in the John Nobles neighborhood, despite concerns with the project’s scale and compatibility with the surrounding area.

The commission conditionally approved the planning review application for the project, known as Casa Del Cava, at its Jan. 22 meeting. 

Proposed by property owner K.E. Maani, Casa Del Cava is to be built on a 3.3-acre vacant parcel near the southwest corner of John Nobles Avenue and Arabia Street. The development will include eight guest suites and amenities including swimming pools, spas, a yoga studio, fitness room, and dining options.

Maani said the unique project would allow the city to expand its lodging options and diversify offerings for different travelers outside of festival-goers. He thinks it could attract eco-tourists and travelers looking for more wellness options.

At the meeting, Vice Chairperson Christian Rodriguez Ceja raised several concerns about the project’s consistency with the city’s general plan and development code, specifically regarding scale and neighborhood compatibility.

“The project is not a single structure like the other types of developments found in the neighborhood,” Rodriguez Ceja said. “It has several rooms and is instead a larger compound consistent with some of the motels that we would find on any boulevard or on Highway 111.”

Rodriguez Ceja said he had further concerns after speaking with residents of the John Nobles neighborhood.

“Thinking about the historic displacement that actually happened there, led me to really evaluate the consistency with the current community that is living down in this neighborhood,” he said, referring to the 1988 destruction of 80 Nobles Ranch homes for an expansion of the Indio Fashion Mall that never materialized.

Even the site planned for Casa Del Cava has a complex development history. In 2005, the lot was approved for a 14-parcel private residential community but it never came to be and the site has remained vacant for the last 20 years.

Despite Rodriguez Ceja’s concerns, Commissioner Gloria Franz pointed out that city staff found the project in line with the development code. She said even though it’s not exactly what she wants for the site, it could bring benefits.

“John Nobles has had a lot of trauma,” she said. “But this new development [could bring] new seeds that could possibly lead to new and better developments coming into that neighborhood which I think they deserve.”

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