The Twentynine Palms City Council meets at 6 pm this upcoming Tuesday, August 25, at City Hall for a regularly scheduled session. With a light agenda, no discussion items and only one public hearing, a shorter meeting is expected.
A 416-page agenda packet includes a liquor license finding for a new cafe and bar, confirmation of cleanup costs for a blighted property in the Hansen Tract neighborhood, and second readings finalizing a new fire code and the Ofland Resort zoning rescission.
Coverage of the last city council meeting is available here.
PUBLIC COMMENT
You can comment on agenda items and issues important to you at every City Council meeting. Comments on agenda items take place during discussion of that item, while comments on non-agenda items take place near the end of the meeting. The Brown Act prevents Council from commenting on non-agenda items. To comment, just pick up a form at the entry desk, fill it out, and hand it to the Clerk, who usually sits just in front of the Council dais toward the right.
Council email addresses and public comment information can be found on our resources page. Be sure to email prior to 2 pm on the day of the meeting so they have time to read your email prior to discussion. You can also copy the clerk at cvillescas@29palms.org and ask that your letter be made part of the public record.
Individuals can now comment remotely using the City’s WebEx system, a video conferencing application, with a unique meeting link at the top of each agenda.
The unique WebEx link to participate in public comment remotely is here.
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CONSENT CALENDAR
The Consent Calendar consists of items usually approved with a single vote. The public can comment on these beforehand. Fill out a comment form at the meeting, or send an email in advance.
This meeting’s Consent Calendar includes a Warrant Register totaling $3,113,555.99. Noteworthy payments include $1,037,835 combined to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services (two separate payments of $518,419.00 and $518,416.00), a $1,057,018.31 payment to Riverside Construction Company Inc., and $55,974.65 to Rutan & Tucker LLP, the City Attorney’s office.
Also included are second readings finalizing two ordinances. At the previous meeting, Council heard from Assistant Fire Marshall Curtis Markloff on updates to the San Bernardino County fire code. Council will formally adopt the 2025 California Fire Code and Residential Code update. They will also conduct the second reading of the formal rescission of Ordinance Numbers 322 and 323, which are the entitlements originally granted to the Ofland Resort project.
Say “Hello” to Nxwhere Cafe
Wrapping up the consent calendar is a Planning Commission recommendation that Council approve a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and alcohol license for Nxwhere Cafe at 73339 Twentynine Palms Highway– a “cafe and casual eating establishment, creative workspace, and community gathering place” in the downtown corridor of Highway 62.1
Desert Trumpet sifted through the Nxwhere Cafe project in our latest Planning Commission Recap and Agenda Preview. At the August 18 meeting, Commissioners raised concerns on parking, safety, and noise as the commercial property backs into the residential area of Donnell Hill. With a poolside bar, Commissioner Cure pushed for a hard noise cut-off time of 10 pm. Those that live in the neighborhood commented about traffic on an already dangerous highway corridor. On March 19, a fatality occurred just west of the location when a motorcycle collided with a pedestrian while descending eastbound towards downtown.
Applicants Brig White, Bobby White, and Jason Barber, on behalf of Nxwhere Customs, or Nxwhere Venues LLC, are requesting a Type 47 On-Sale General license from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Similar to the Planning staff report, the Council resolution admits to an over-concentration of alcohol sales licenses in the area, based on a population formula determined by the California's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Per the staff report, Census Tract No. 104.34 currently has 18 alcohol licenses across 11 locations, while ABC’s formula only allots one.
Staff’s recommendation for passage is based on the grounds that the economic activity in downtown Twentynine Palms is highly dependent on bars, restaurants, and event spaces:
Since a vibrant downtown area typically has bars, restaurants and event spaces, findings in support of a PCN (Public Convenience or Necessity) was forwarded to the City Council for approval, with the Planning Commission’s concurrence.
The Desert Trumpet has covered the topic of alcohol, beer, and wine permits in city limits in the past, noting the high concentration of alcohol sales permits compared to population size as a whole, and the potential impact of alcohol accessibility, particularly in areas that are socioeconomically challenged or rural.
To be located at 73339 29 Palms Highway, at the southwest corner of Highway 62 and Pine Avenue, plans for the site include a pool, breakfast offerings, co-working space, live music, and a private venue for events.
PUBLIC HEARING
Confirming the Costs of Abating 7535 Sherman Hoyt Avenue
The lengthy title of this resolution speaks for itself:
A Residence Full of Trash, Debris, an Abandoned Motorhome and Box Truck, an Unsecured Residence that was Declared a Public Nuisance and Cleaned under the Direction of the Planning Commission.
Per the staff report, the City first flagged 7535 Sherman Hoyt Avenue in the Hansen Tract as a nuisance on October 19, 2022. It then spent over two years trying to seek voluntary compliance from owner Evan Kaplan but was unsuccessful following two notices to abate. The City issued three citations for failure to comply with the abatement notices along with numerous municipal code violations.
In December of 2024, the Planning Commission declared the property a public nuisance, which catalyzed the City abatement process.
Due to the owner’s continued failure to adhere, the City gained access to the property via an Abatement Warrant issued through court on June 8, 2026.
Two vehicles (one travel trailer and one box truck), 1,008 tires, and 26.55 tons of trash and debris were removed from the property over a four-day clean up for a cost of $39,049.77. In his report from the June 23 council meeting, City Manager Kevin Cole commended the Code Enforcement team who completed the cleanup effort along with local contractors.
Though only a 0.31-acre parcel, the Sherman Hoyt property shows how unexpected expenses can place a heavy burden on an already constrained small town budget. In May 2026, Council had to divert funds from Code Enforcement’s property abatement budget to cover costs to render a now-defunct consultant agreement to develop a code compliance handbook.
Staff direction from Council is to confirm the cost of abatement and direct the property owner to pay within 10 days. Failure to pay will result in a special assessment tacked to the parcel through the County property tax rolls and could leave the owner subject to delinquency.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
None
FUTURE COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS
Shade Structures around Freedom Plaza and a possible art fixture with “Freedom Plaza” announcing the location.
Discussion on the use of City funds for grants and the potential reallocation of housing and homeless funds to grants.
Discussion on the next steps of reallocating $1.3 million for housing.
Review and revision to Municipal Code 5.08 related to cannabis uses to bring the City up to par with new legislation and State Law.
Discussion regarding a moratorium on data centers.
Discussion on reallocating funds that were set aside for City Hall shade structures to grant writing.
The meeting takes place at 6 pm. See you there!
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