2024 Development Recap
Residents push back against resort, residential and solar projects in Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, Flamingo Heights and Landers
With names reminiscent of focus-group approval like Yonder (now Ofland), Wander (now Reset), Wonder Inn, Flamingo Blossom and LoveMore, it’s hard to keep track of all the hipster-esque desert development proposals that have popped up in the Morongo Basin since 2020. These developments differ in scope, size, cost, funders, and zoning but all have been met with various levels of local opposition.
In Twentynine Palms residents are pushing back against projects that require zoning changes to move forward, while residents at community meetings in Flamingo Heights, Joshua Tree and Landers had tough questions for developers despite projects taking place in appropriate zoning.
What follows is our desert developer bingo update on five of the projects that have raised the ire of their potential neighbors and host communities.
Commercial Projects in Residential Zoning,
Twentynine Palms
Ofland
Ofland is a proposed 152-acre 130-cabin resort development in the Indian Cove neighborhood of Twentynine Palms. Near Joshua Tree National Park’s Indian Cove campground, the area is currently zoned by the City of Twentynine Palms as residential. “Say No to Ofland” is a local opposition group1 that has formed in response to the development proposal, with a Facebook page listing a myriad of reasons why the City should not follow through with the consideration, listing concerns of light pollution, traffic congestion, zoning, and wildlife and desert tortoise habitat. A change.org petition opposing the Ofland project has garnered over 550 signatures since launching on November 15.
Much like the proposed solar farm on the north side of Highway 62, also standing in the way of this project is local zoning ordinance, which designates the area as single-family residential. Developers are proposing a zoning ordinance change to accommodate commercial tourist zoning. If they choose to approve the project, the City would have to grant a conditional use permit and change zoning regulations for the Indian Cove area.
Ofland Project Timeline:
November 2023: Yonder Developers host a public meeting where developers are confronted with heavy resident opposition.
January 2024: After significant local spotlight on the proposal and continued resident opposition, developers change the proposed project’s name from Yonder to Ofland.
February 2024: Developers host a public forum and are again met with local pushback, with over forty locals in opposition to the project attending.
Currently, the project’s website lists various justifications for City Council approval of the project, claiming the project will garner the City revenue of $850K in annual TOT and property tax, generate fifty to sixty “sustainable jobs,” and conservation efforts in the form of donations around $150,000 through “non-profit partnerships.”
As for City action on the Ofland project, developers must first submit an application for rezoning and a conditional use permit with project plans outlined to the City Planning Commission. As of December 2024, the developer’s full application has yet to be submitted and the parcel remains in escrow. Whether the project moves forward or not will ultimately be up to the Twentynine Palms City Council — Natalie Zuk
29Palms Solar Project
Since March 2023, the Desert Trumpet has reported on public scoping meetings on a solar project that E-Group PS, LLC, proposes to build adjacent to the Harmony Acres neighborhood of Twentynine Palms. This includes the project’s introduction at City Council in May 2023, recaps of public meetings held in March 2024 and a feature on the who benefits from the project.
The owner of the parcels for the proposed solar farm is Proactive Properties, LLC, whose principal is George Mulopulos, a Las Vegas radiologist. Proactive Properties owns many parcels in Twentynine Palms, one of which was once considered for the Ofland development. Dr. Mulopulos is the author of editorials in the Hi-Desert Star / Desert Trail and comments to City Council arguing that Twentynine Palms should be more business and development friendly.2 He is leasing the parcels to E-Group PS, LLC.
Despite public reactions ranging from “yes, please” to “never ever,” it has been crickets in the public sphere since March 2024—the 29Palms Solar Project has not appeared as an agenda item for either the Planning Commission or City Council. In response to periodic Public Information Requests that the Desert Trumpet has submitted, the City has provided uninformative links to calendar invitations to year-old meetings and not much else. A community group has formed in opposition to the project, but, otherwise, any information we have to pass along is speculative.
One of the objections to the 29 Palms Solar Project is that it would destroy important Mojave desert tortoise habitat. In May, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife uplisted the desert tortoise from threatened to endangered status, highlighting the critical need to protect this iconic reptile.
Wildlife surveys have taken place; in the spring, while walking near the Sugar Bowl, I ran across a group from a biological resource survey team investigating the property. They were well aware of the tortoises living there. A few weeks later, in a casual conversation, City Manager Stone James noted that there were “only” six or seven tortoises on the development site. We have requested drafts of the biological report but have not received them.
In 2012, the City passed a moratorium on the development of utility-scale solar projects in response to the development of the 2012 Highlander 1 solar farm on Lear Road. But California Assembly Bill 205, passed in 2022, makes it possible for E-Group PS, the project’s developer, to bypass the City because of the urgency of climate-friendly energy solutions.
California cities are pushing back against AB-205: In May, the City of San Juan Capistrano filed a legal objection to a solar energy project proposed within its city limits. The developer, Compass Energy Storage, LLC, bypassed the city and went directly to the California Energy Commission (CEC) for approval after the city had denied a conditional use permit in 2022. Public outcry and an incomplete proposal have pushed Compass Energy Storage’s new proposal to the CEC into 2025.
— Kat Talley-Jones
A Residential Project in Residential Zoning, Joshua Tree
LoveMore Ranch
LoveMore Ranch is a proposed development of 64 homes on a vacant 18.5 acre parcel in the Friendly Hills area of Joshua Tree, northwest of Alta Loma Dr. and Sunset Rd. It's zoned JT-RS (Single Residential) and has been owned by Axel Cramer since September 2020. According to the LoveMore Ranch website, the parcel's "zoning allows for 57 to 114 homes, but we plan to develop 64 lots to balance density with preserving the natural habitat."
In August 2024 Cramer and his group held a meeting at Joshua Tree Community Center to solicit community input. Despite the fact the area immediately north has similarly small parcels, per Z107.7 reporting, attendees disliked the project's density and some vowed to oppose it.
That same month the Morongo Basin Conservation Association commented to the County complaining about "any claims concerning sustainability and responsible growth and development" for this project, among other issues. The the environmental (CEQA) comment period for this project recently ended. — Jonathan Hume
Commercial Projects in Commercial Zoning,
Landers and Flamingo Heights
After fighting off the massive Flamingo 640 project, locals haven’t lost their taste for defending their remote desert homes. The builders of these new projects learned from Flamingo 640’s mistakes: make it smaller, make it more compatible with the natural and social environment, and ask for community feedback from the beginning.
Flamingo Blossom
Flamingo Blossom will be situated off of Old Woman Springs Road directly north of popular desert destination restaurant La Copine. The lot is zoned for commercial development, but many homes sit directly behind it.
When two of the partners behind the Flamingo Blossom, Nicholas Fahey and Rob Masser, met with community members in May 2024, they were greeted by a packed room and plenty of pushback from neighbors. The plans for the 4.4-acre lot had twelve single-story cabins in two sizes: 450 square feet and 750 square feet, a pool and pavilion, and an art gallery.
Claire Wadsworth, owner of La Copine, echoed the concerns of many in the community when she asked if any of the amenities would be open to the public. Wadsworth said she considers it just another short-term rental that creates problems for locals without adding to the community.
Based on feedback from plans released to the community in the months before the May meeting, Flamingo Blossom had already eliminated a large hangar-type structure and hired a new architect to develop a new vision for the project with less intrusive structures more suited to the neighborhood and the desert environment. For many, this was not nearly enough to assuage their fears of increased traffic, noise and disruption.
Fahey has pointed out, “If it’s not us, it’ll be someone else. I get offers on that piece of property monthly, so those folks are coming.…We are trying to be respectful of your community.”
Based on feedback received in May, Michael O’Connor, the third partner at Flamingo Blossom, joined Fahey and project architect Brando McDonnell to present a new plan in a second meeting last October. This new vision increased the number of cabins to 19, eliminated the pool and pavilion, moved the art gallery/event space to the southeast corner, and added grab-and-go food options and a market open to the public.
O’Connor emphasized that they want to be part of the community, saying “We are here for the long term. Locals are the economic base for this kind of business, and we’ll have special pricing for the local folks.”
Most of the people in attendance at this meeting were direct neighbors of the project, like Debra Melford, a 13-year resident who said, “I don’t want to sell my house and move, but I may have to if this gets built.”
O’Connor assured her that noise would be mitigated, with most of the construction happening off-site. The cabins wouldn’t be placed all at one time, O’Connor said, but gradually over a period of time.
“We are also businessmen. I think that was a little bit shielded last time,” O’Connor said, “but we want to make this part of the community.” — Laura Hauther
The Landing
The Landing is a proposed resort-style hotel set on a 5.7-acre lot in Landers on Belfield Road.
Plans for this project include a 35-room hotel, a market catering to local needs, a restaurant and bar, an onsen spa and an observatory. Jonathan Rieke, studio director of the architecture firm West of West, is the designer for the project.
At a November 20 meeting, project developers Sam Friedman and Ben Toffey were joined by Rieke and an environmental planner specializing in CEQA compliance, Jessica Kirchner of Impact Sciences. They faced community members in hopes of winning over those skeptical of the project’s impact, especially those struggling financially who don’t see the benefit of having an upscale hotel built in their neighborhood.
The Landing developers responded by showcasing the market geared toward locals and stocked with groceries and other basics. Toffey, a resident of Landers, said the market will be priced for locals: “We talking $2 coffee and bagels that are $3.…It’s not going to be fancy.” The idea came from his own frustration when having to drive a long way to get basics, Toffey said.
Addressing resident’s concerns about more light pollution, Friedman said Landers’ dark skies make it a great place for their observatory, saying “We know that it's home to America's finest astronomers. There are multiple observatories already here, and we're excited to build one of our own.”
Attendees were mixed in their reactions. Some seemed to like what they heard, while the project’s closest neighbors, like Heidi Cicero, voiced the concerns:
We own a house right across from your project, and I’m frustrated because my questions haven’t really been answered…there’s not a lot of traffic on the street (Belfield) right now…the two commercial businesses on that street close at night, and the difference is, with a hotel, is people coming and going 24/7.
Chris Gubler of Gubler Orchids, said “I just want to tell the group I’ve been looking at this and listening, and I support the project. It conforms to the law, they bought that land and they can build on that land.”
Friedman and Toffey said they are currently moving through the permitting process. They anticipate breaking ground in the coming year, and hope to open within two years. — Laura Hauther
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Say No to Ofland was founded by Cindy Bernard, Rich Good, Melissa Grissi, Heidi Heard, Dana Longuevan and Kat and John Talley-Jones. Cindy Bernard, Heidi Heard and Kat Talley-Jones are Desert Trumpet staff.
The editorials are behind a paywall. A November 2023 article in the Hi-Desert Star / Desert Trail quoted Mulopolus as submitting a letter favoring fewer regulations on short term rentals, “The city needs to be friendlier to this kind of business.”
Thank you for providing these updates.
We tend to forget these are ongoing developments and we need to stay vigilant.
Keep pushing back, locals. Your area doesn't need more traffic, more people and more developer exploitation. I lived on Yucca Mesa for a few years, wrote "From the Mesa", a column for the HiDesert Star and saw the effects of more and more people coming into the area - so often to build their vacation homes. Your area is a delicately balanced environment, with wildlife and vegetation that are easily disturbed. It is not a playground for short-time people who don't have a commitment to the desert. Keep it local.