ON THE AGENDA: Twentynine Palms Planning Commission, May 5, 2026
A routine agenda with one item: a permit for events at the Historic Plaza
The Planning Commission skipped the month of April, making this the first meeting since March 17 — a short one, also with a one-item agenda. The single hearing or discussion item for this meeting? The Friends of the Historic Plaza are asking for a Conditional Use Permit that would allow outdoor vendor events at the Historic Plaza up to once a week on Sunday afternoons, replacing the patchwork of Temporary Use Permits that have governed events there since 2024. The agenda is here.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
After Planning Commission announcements, attendees can comment on items not on the agenda. Public comments on agenda items will be requested when the item is discussed. Fill out a green comment sheet for public or agenda item comments and hand it to the staff, usually sitting at the desk at the front of the room on the right side. Residents have three minutes to make comments.
You may also email comments to Planning Commission members and Community Development Director Keith Gardner and request that comments be read at the meeting.
CONSENT CALENDAR
The Consent Calendar consists of items usually approved with a single vote. The public is given a chance to make public comment on these items prior to the Commission motion. Fill out a comment form specifying the item you wish to address and submit it in person, or send an email in advance regarding any of the items on this meeting’s Consent Calendar.
This meeting’s Consent Calendar is entirely housekeeping: approval of meeting minutes from three prior sessions. Items 1, 2, and 3 cover the minutes of February 17, March 3, and March 17, 2026.
That said, the minutes from eventful meetings are worth a review to ensure that discussion and public comment are rendered accurately for the public record — and two of these were doozies. The February 17 meeting featured a lengthy public hearing on the E-Group Solar Project, with 17 speakers in opposition and 4 in favor, before the Commission continued the item to March 3. At the March 3 meeting, the Commission voted to forward a split decision to City Council — two Commissioners (Leslie Paahana and Max Walker) in favor, two (Alex Garcia and Jim Krushat) recommending denial, and Chair Jessica Cure neutral. The Commission then had an unusually lengthy leadership decision — with Max Walker ultimately elected Chair and Jim Krushat as Vice Chair after two failed motions, and Paahana and Walker uniting across both votes to remove then Vice Chair Alex Garcia from Planning Commission leadership.
While approval of minutes is usually routine, readers interested in the full record of E-Group deliberations may want to examine the minutes which are the official record of that pivotal split vote.
4. Conditional Use Permit CUP26-000001 — Regular Events at the Historic Plaza
The one item on this agenda is a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application from the Friends of the Historic Plaza, requesting permission to hold regularly scheduled outdoor community events in the Plaza parking lot. The Historic Plaza is unique in the City as local businesses surround the parking, which has a walkway and square between two rows of spaces and is dotted with trees. However, various entities own and run the businesses while the parking area is owned by the City.
What’s being asked and why it matters
Under current rules, events at the Historic Plaza have required Temporary Use Permits (TUP), which are capped at four per year. Since 2024, the Plaza has hosted a variety of events from community barbecues to antique car shows to health fairs. The CUP would replace the need for repeated TUP applications by establishing a standing permit for events up to 52 Sundays a year — in effect, enabling weekly Sunday events if organizers choose to use the permit to its fullest extent.
If approved, events would run from noon to 5 p.m., with set-up allowed from 7 a.m. with teardown through 7 p.m. Alcohol sales are permitted under the CUP, provided an active ABC license is obtained and visible. Live and recorded music and street performers would be allowed, subject to the City’s noise regulations. A mix of vendors is also acceptable as long as each holds a valid City business license.
Conditions of approval
The draft Conditions of Approval attached to the agenda are detailed — 24 conditions in all — and reflect the unusual nature of permitting a recurring event in a shared commercial parking lot. Notable conditions include:
a $1 million insurance requirement with the City listed as an additional insured
a prohibition on “kiddie rides”
any sale or display of live animals must be coordinated with Animal Control
all merchandise must consist of new items, handmade crafts, antiques (defined as 50+ years old), or collectibles.
The permit would run five years, expiring May 5, 2031, subject to a new or revised CUP at that time. The recommendation is that the Commission adopt the resolution approving the CUP.
For our “eagle eye” readers: The draft resolution in the packet includes a “WHEREAS” clause stating that a public hearing was held on April 27, 2026, the date of the last City Council meeting — but this agenda is for May 5, 2026. That inconsistency should be addressed before the resolution is adopted.
Why this is good news — with caveats
Increasing the frequency of events at the Historic Plaza would be a meaningful step toward activating one of the city’s most underused commercial corridors. Unlike recent large-scale development proposals that have divided the community, this is a locally-initiated, small-scale economic development idea with no apparent organized opposition. Some residents living near Plaza may have concerns about the potential for weekly events and the noise and extra traffic accompanying them. However, it’s unclear whether the application is due to a desire for more events or to alleviate the hassle and uncertainty of pulling multiple TUPs for the five to six community events on the the Friends of the Historic Plaza usual calendar.
The meeting is held at City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, and may be live-streamed via the City website at www.29palms.org. Recordings are available on demand after the meeting.
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