29 Palms Planning provides key boost to proposed Ofland Hotel resort development near Indian Cove
Mitigated Negative Declaration means Ofland could avoid costly Environmental Impact Report, public comment due June 2
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, the Twentynine Palms Planning Division effectively gave the proposed Ofland Hotel Twentynine Palms resort development a big leg up, making public the City's Initial Study (IS) finding that the project needn't do a costly and time consuming Environmental Impact Report (EIR), because its moderate impact instead merits a far less expensive and onerous Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND). You can read the City’s Initial Study here.
The 20-day public review period for this Mitigated Negative Declaration runs May 14 to June 2. Comments can be submitted to Community Development Director Keith Gardner at City of Twentynine Palms, 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 or via email to kgardner@29palms.org.
The Notice of Intent accompanying the Initial Study states:
Although significant impacts could occur, mitigation measures included in the Initial Study will reduce these impacts to less than significant levels. The City hereby prepares and proposes to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration for this project.
A MND is a document used under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to determine if a proposed project will have significant environmental impacts. It is used when an Initial Study identifies potential significant effects, but project revisions or mitigation measures would avoid or reduce those impacts to a less-than-significant level. The MND serves as a legal statement finding "no substantial evidence" that the revised project, with its agreed-upon mitigations, will have a significant adverse impact on the environment.
Described in the study as a "152-acre luxury resort project," the initiative, a proposed 100-room hotel at the southeast corner of Lear Avenue and Twentynine Palms Highway, would actually occupy just 42 acres at the center of the now-vacant 152-acre parcel, ringed by 110 acres of conserved land. Each of the proposed hotel's 100 "rooms" would be a freestanding 384-square foot unit with its own patio. Additionally, the hotel would feature lodges, pools and spas, recreational areas, playgrounds, food and beverage service (actually a “fast-casual” restaurant with patio seating and pre-packaged alcohol in a dedicated structure open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., per Ofland Development’s website), and 25 employee housing units.
The Desert Trumpet's previous coverage of the Ofland Hotel project includes our "2024 Development Recap" from December 7, 2024, "Ofland Resort Takes Another Shot at Winning Over Indian Cove Residents" from March 3, 2024 and "We have a housing crisis, not a recreation crisis" from December 9, 2023.
Ofland's asks from the City
Rezoning is a key aspect of what Ofland Development needs from the City to move ahead with this project. Currently, this undeveloped 152-acre parcel is zoned Single-Family Residential Estate (RS-E), which, as the study states, "does not permit the proposed uses." The existing RS-E zoning allows residential homebuilding with subdivision into parcels of at least 2.5 acres.
Ofland is asking the City to rezone this parcel into 42 acres of Tourist Commercial (TC) zoned land to accommodate the hotel itself, surrounded donut-like by 110 acres of Open Space Conservation (OSC) zoned land.
This OSC designated land would preserve a buffer zone between the hotel area and the parcel’s perimeter of 500 feet to the west, 800 feet to the east, 600 feet to the north and 500 feet to the south.
The City's current zoning lacks a Open Space Conservation zoning type, so in addition to the rezoning, the City would need to approve a General Plan Amendment and a Development Code Amendment to create and implement this new OSC zoning designation.
Accompanying this substantial rezoning is the requirement that the project accommodate state SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, which prohibits cities from enacting changes which would reduce their quantity of potential new housing. Under SB 330, in order for the City to downzone one area — for example, by rezoning this 152-acre parcel to something other than its current potential accommodation of 61 houses — it must correspondingly upzone another area.
Fortunately for Ofland Development, the City already has just such an upzoning already in mind. Per the Initial Study, "Twentynine Palms is currently in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a solar project encompassing ±477-acres in the northern portion of the City." Here the City is referring to the proposed E-Group PS solar project north of Two-Mile Road near the Sugar Bowl and west of the Harmony Acres neighborhood, the plan for which, conveniently enough, includes upzoning the south 236 acres of that parcel from the currently allowed 71 housing units to a maximum of 236 housing units. Voilà! With a little Planning magic, here are the necessary 61 potential housing units in the City to offset those subtracted by Ofland Hotel to comply with SB 330.
Notably, though, the City's robbing-from-Peter-to-pay-Paul sleight of hand here does yield an odd dependency of one speculative project, Ofland Hotel, upon another, the E-Group PS solar farm. You'd be forgiven for wondering whether the City was bending over backward to accommodate developers coming, hat in hand, to 29.
Finally, when and if the zoning hurdles are cleared, in order to proceed, Ofland Development will still need a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) from the City. This is a discretionary land use permit allowing a property owner to engage in a type of use not otherwise permitted by the local zoning ordinance, only if certain conditions are met. CUPs, zoning changes and general plan amendments all require approval by the Planning Commission and City Council.
Digging into the Initial Study (EIR vs MND? So many acronyms!)
The Initial Study evaluates 21 different environmental factors, including Aesthetics, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Noise, Population/Housing, Recreation, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources and Wildfire. The 99-page Initial Study and its appendices total 729 pages.
It's impractical to cover so much material in depth, so what follows are highlights from four of the 21 study areas.
Land Use and Planning
Item XI (b) in this Initial Study (page 62) evaluates the Ofland Hotel project for disagreement with the City's General Plan, asking whether there's "Conflict with any applicable land use plan, policy, or regulation of an agency with jurisdiction over the project (including, but not limited to the general plan, specific plan, local coastal program, or zoning ordinance) adopted for the purpose of avoiding or mitigating an environmental effect?" Here the Study finds "Less than significant impact."
Assessing the Ofland Hotel project against various stated General Plan goals, the Study offers the following analysis in support of its conclusion:
The location of a tourist-oriented project on Highway 62 is consistent with the City’s pattern of locating and concentrating commercial land uses along this high-volume corridor. Commercial lands and uses occur both east and west of the project site, and the project would continue this pattern of development with minimal intrusion into residential areas, particularly because of the Open Space buffer proposed as part of the amendment.
The hotel project itself is single-story, low impact development of individual cabins for guests, and employee housing to assure that employees have affordable housing and are not required to commute. The 100 cabins represent a density of 2.4 units per acre, which is lower than the neighborhood currently developed on the west side of Lear Avenue adjacent to the project site. The implementation of the GPA [General Plan Amendment] will also implement the City’s economic development goals, including local revenue and employment, while minimizing and buffering residents to the south, west and east.
While it’s true that the proposed density of 2.4 hotel units per acre is less dense than the relatively dense portion of the Indian Cove neighborhood immediately west of the proposed hotel site — it’s notable that this new 2.4 units per acre density would represent a significant density increase versus the sparely populated east portion of the Indian Cove neighborhood’s existing RS-E zoning’s 0.4 units per acre (2.5-acre lots); as well as versus the southeast portion of the neighborhood’s RL-5 zoning with a density of just 0.2 units per acre (5-acre lots).
Against the General Plan goal that it "Consider and address the potential impacts of new development on surrounding properties," the Study offers that:
The project will have no significant impact on surrounding properties, because of the low intensity (2.4 units per acre) of the project, and the creation of the Open Space buffer, which will provide a permanent physical separation between the project and existing and future residential uses on the west, south and east.
Against various General Plan goals, including that development projects "Protect and preserve Twentynine Palms natural resources, promote the existing quality of life and prepare for future residents and businesses by promoting superior sustainable development," and "Encourage a mix of retail, service, industrial, manufacturing and professional uses that create diverse, well-paying employment opportunities," the Study offers that:
The site is located on Highway 62, which has been and continues to be the City’s commercial corridor. The location of a hotel at this location is consistent with other hotels located east of the site, which also occur on the highway. This location allows for easy access by employees who may live in the City. In addition, the employee housing proposed as part of the project will limit daily employee trips, and also provide an affordable living environment for employees who might not be able to afford market rents and purchase prices in the City otherwise.
Biological Resources
Item IV in this Initial Study (page 28) evaluates the Ofland Hotel project for any "substantial adverse effect" on "any species identified as a candidate, sensitive, or special status" or "habitat or other sensitive natural community." For these conservation factors the Study finds the Ofland Hotel project impact to be "less than significant with mitigation" or "less than significant impact."
As the Study states, "36 wildlife and 16 plant species are listed as species of concern and are known to or may potentially exist within the City," but top of mind is the desert tortoise:
Ongoing threats, including population loss, habitat degradation and fragmentation due to development have resulted in the desert tortoise being listed as a federal and state threatened species.1 As such, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) have established regulations to allow development to occur within a strict framework that ensures potential impacts to the desert tortoise population and sensitive habitat are reduced to the greatest extent. CEQA further requires all new developments avoid potential impacts to the desert tortoise and any other federal, state, and/or local listed species.
Biological resource findings in the Initial Study are based on a Biological Resources Assessment Report prepared in March, 2024, which was in turn primarily based on an October, 2023 field visit. This field visit revealed no desert tortoises on the proposed site but the Study acknowledges their proximity:
The probability of the desert tortoise to occur onsite is moderate due to the presence of suitable habitat. The site’s dominant vegetation (creosote bush scrub) is a habitat typically utilized by desert tortoises. Although no desert tortoise individual or sign was identified onsite during the field survey, habitat on the site is suitable, and they could move onto the site prior to construction.
Notably, just one month after this Biological Resources Assessment Report was prepared, the California Fish and Game Commission uplisted the Mojave desert tortoise from “threatened” to “endangered” — but nowhere does the Study acknowledge this change.2
The Study suggests that although "Impacts to the species, should they occur would be significant if not mitigated," potential threats to the tortoise from the Ofland Hotel project can be mitigated via site surveys prior to construction:
BIO-1: Desert Tortoise
Prior to the issuance of any ground disturbing permit on the Project site, pre-construction surveys consistent with the requirements of the USFWS 2019, “Preparing For Any Action That May Occur Within The Range Of The Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii).” If an Agassiz’s desert tortoise is found onsite during construction, all activities likely to affect that animal(s) must cease and the City, CDFW and USFWS must be contacted to determine appropriate steps. No take of the tortoise(s) may occur without prior authorization from the appropriate regulatory agencies, including CDFW and USFWS.
The study suggests other mitigation measures to mitigate potential impact on migratory birds, burrowing owls, American badgers and the San Diego pocket mouse, and specifies that all project construction workers receive Worker Environmental Awareness Program (WEAP) training.
Cultural Resources
Item V in this Initial Study (page 34) evaluates the Ofland Hotel project for its potential impact on cultural resources. You might think a "vacant" 152-acre desert parcel would contain zero cultural resources, but given that, as the Study states, "The City is located in an area historically occupied by two Native American groups, the Serrano and the Chemehuevi," that isn't quite correct:
Intensive-level field surveys were conducted on November 14 and 15 [2023] by CRM TECH staff. During the field survey, 19 previously undocumented cultural resources were recorded within the project boundaries and designated temporarily as 4064-1H through 4064-19, pending assignment of permanent identification numbers in the California Historical Resources Inventory.
The 19 newly identified cultural resources within the Project boundaries include prehistoric (i.e., Native American) milling features and lithic artifacts as well as historic-period refuse items, and they were recorded as 5 archaeological sites and 14 isolates (i.e., localities with fewer than three artifacts). Among these are 2 prehistoric sites, 3 historic-period sites, 7 prehistoric isolates, and 7 historic-period isolates.
But intriguing as they may be, these archeological discoveries don't merit special protection for purposes of compliance with CEQA:
According to guidelines set forth by the California Office of Historic Preservation, isolates with fewer than three artifacts, by definition, do not qualify as archaeological sites due to the lack of contextual integrity. As such, the 14 isolates found in the project area are not considered potential “historical resources” and require no further consideration in the CEQA compliance process.
The Study details two measures to mitigate the project’s impact on these archeological finds:
CUL-1 The two prehistoric sites in the Project area identified as 4064-7 and 4064-18 shall be placed in clearly demarcated Environmentally Sensitive Areas during project construction. No construction activities shall be permitted in these areas.
CUL-2 Earth-moving activities, including grading, grubbing, trenching, or excavations at the site shall be monitored by a qualified archaeologist and, if requested, a Native American monitor. The monitoring program should be coordinated with the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, who may wish to participate. If any cultural materials more than 50 years of age are discovered, they shall be recorded and evaluated in the field. The monitors shall be prepared to recover artifacts quickly to avoid construction delays but must have the power to temporarily halt or divert construction equipment to allow for controlled archaeological recovery if a substantial cultural deposit is encountered. The monitors shall determine when excavations have reached sufficient depth to preclude the occurrence of cultural resources, and when monitoring should conclude.
Transportation and Traffic
Item XVIII in this Initial Study (page 83) evaluates the Ofland Hotel project for potential transportation and traffic issues and finds there will be "Less than Significant Impact with Mitigation."
The study acknowledges the hotel would generate lot of new car trips:
The Project is anticipated to generate 894 external vehicle trip-ends per day with 54 external AM peak vehicle hours trips and 62 external PM peak hours vehicle trips, based on the hotel units and assuming that the food and beverage facilities would be open to the public.
Asking whether the Ofland Hotel project might create "Conflict with a program, plan, ordinance or policy addressing the circulation system, including transit, roadway, bicycle and pedestrian facilities," the Study refers to an analysis of existing and projected traffic and intersection delays, and recommends various traffic mitigation measures to accommodate the project. These include paving Lear Avenue between Twentynine Palms Highway (SR-62) and Sullivan Road, paving a section of Sullivan Road, and installation of various new stop signs and turn lanes.
As part of its traffic analysis the Study states that the Ofland Hotel restaurant, in serving the general public as well as hotel guests, will tend to reduce car trips:
[T]he on-site food and beverage uses support to the Project units and provide a new local service for adjacent residents to accommodate their food and beverage needs. The provision of on-site guest services and lodge facilities shortens nondiscretionary trips by putting those goods and services closer to complimentary land uses, resulting in conditions which do not increase overall VMT [vehicle miles traveled].
But this idea of guests rarely venturing out would seem to be at odds with Ofland’s enticement of off-site spending on their website, that Ofland guests will reliably spend north of $200 daily at local businesses:
On average, each occupied unit at Ofland spends $209 per day off-site in local restaurants and stores generating over $3,500,000 spent annually within the local economy.
Next Steps
Following the Initial Study comment period, which ends June 2, consideration of the Ofland Hotel project CUP and zoning changes may land on the Planning Commission’s agenda as soon as their June 17 meeting.
Regardless of the Planning Commission’s recommendations, this development proposal will end up before City Council. Council can approve it, impose further conditions or modifications themselves, send it back to the Planning Commission for further consideration or modifications, or deny it.
NOTE: Desert Trumpet staff members Cindy Bernard, Kat Talley-Jones and Heidi Heard live in the Indian Cove neighborhood, adjacent to this proposed development project, and are on the executive committees of Indian Cove Neighbors and Say No to Ofland.
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In April, 2024 the California Fish and Game Commission recognized the Mojave desert tortoise as endangered.
Ed Larue, a biologist who studies the Mojave Desert Tortoise and prepares biological reports, contends that the October 2023 field survey that this Biological Resources Assessment Report relies on was performed using an out-of-date tortoise survey methodology.