HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplemental - XIB Ord 1378 Time share projects - Public CommentsMay 10, 2022
Mayor Jan Hamik
City of Palm Desert
73510 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA, 92260
Dear Mayor Hamik:
I was surprised and greatly disappointed to learn that the City of Palm Desert is attempting to prohibit co
owenrship through Limited Liability Corporations ("LLC") in your great city.
My family has been a co-owner in the City of Palm Desert for over 20 years now. I've done business for many
years in this City and supported many of the members of council. In doing so I never in my wildest dreams
believed the City would want to try and remove the many thousands that own in your city through co-ownership.
To sit in the chambers and decide how someone owns a home or has owned a home in your City for many years
is taking your power too far. You have the ability to act when nuisances occur and should act accordingly but co
ownership in your City has been in place since its inception. A knee jerk reaction like the one you are proposing
is irresponsible and lazy. The repercussions on local businesses and real estate prices will be felt from this after it
all plays out should you pass this.
Please refrain from this NIMBY approach and embrace all kinds of ownership as we have been upstanding
citizens contributing to the welfare of the community for many years. Your staff reports have become ever
contradicting and its becoming impossible for your constituents to believe anything you bring forward with one
report saying we "are supportive of the co-ownership model" and this coming to light a week later.
Sincerely,
Mike Byer
Current Palm Desert Resident
Item XI. B
May 10, 2022
Mayor Jan Hamik
City of Palm Desert
73510 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA, 92260
Dear Mayor Hamik:
David G. Durham
5831 Birch Ct
Denver, CO 80121
I was surprised and disappointed to learn that the City of Palm Desert is attempting to prohibit Limited Liability
Corporation ("LLC") home ownership in your great city.
Over the years, my family and I have been frequent visitors to the Coachella Valley, and in 2021 my wife and I
purchased a one eighth share in a Pacaso home in Palm Desert. The primary appeal to the home is its' location
as my wife and l have been dining and shopping on El Paseo since our first visit in 2001. After making our
Pacaso purchase in May of 2021 we also joined Toscana Country Club in nearby Indian Wells, doubling down
on our financial commitment to the area. We are both approaching retirement age, and within two to three years,
intend to buy a home and make Palm Desert our permanent Winter residence. Our investment in Pacaso was the
perfect vehicle to experience Palm Desert living without making a multi-million dollar real estate investment, and
had that vehicle not been available, our commitment to the city would not be the same. I cannot speak for the
other Pacaso owners, but I suspect that their demographic is similar and that for many, their motivation for buying
into an LLC is the same.
It is also important to point out that Pacaso goes to amazing lengths to meticulously maintain our home. Every
time we walk into the home, it is in perfect condition, which is not only a testament to Pacaso's maintenance
standards, but also a function of each of the owners having a vested and financial interest in preserving our home's
value. I compare that pride of ownership to homes that are individually owned and rented out through VRBO or
Airbnb, and can't imagine that the city and surrounding neighbors benefit from that scenario.
In my view, Pacaso is attracting owners in the exact demographic that Palm Desert should want, both from a
commercial and cultural perspective, and attempting to prohibit LLC ownership of homes such as those managed
and maintained by Pacaso is a mistake.
Sincerely,
David G. Durham
Pacaso Owner
Item XI. B
1
Niamh M. Ortega
From:Lindsey L Harris <desertlindsey@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 9, 2022 11:57 AM
To:CouncilMeeting Comments
Subject:Public Hearing Item A. Zoning Ordinance Amendment -Support
Dear Mayor Harnik and Honorable Council Members,
Thank you for your prompt and thoughtful action in moving ahead with the Staff's and Planning Commission's
recommendations regarding the proposed positive modifications to the Zoning Ordinance that will be heard in
the May 12, City Council meeting.
I would like to confirm my support for approval of Public Hearing Item A. "Approval of a Zoning Ordinance
Amendment to modify Palm Desert Municipal Code Chapter 25.10 (Residential Districts) and Chapter 25.68
(Decisions by the Architectural Review Commission)"
All of the effort that the City has put in to remedy the current situation is truly appreciated. Thank you all for
being so responsive.
Sincerely, ‐Lindsey Harris
43754 Fairhaven Dr, Palm Desert 92260
Item XI. B