Outlook
KINGS SCHOOL OF THE DESERT EXPANSION PROJECT
FromJune Liu <[email protected]>
Date Tue 9/16/2025 9:36 AM
To Dominique Camps <[email protected]>
Cc Tracey Hermosillo <[email protected]>
You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important Palm Springs East Association
June Liu, President
6176 Driver Rd.
Palm Springs, CA 92264
September 16, 2025
Dominique Camps, Association Planner
[email protected] (Sent via email)
City of Cathedral City
68-700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero
Cathedral City, CA 92234
RE: KINGS SCHOOL OF THE DESERT EXPANSION PROJECT - CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT REVISION 25-003; ADMINISTRATIVE VARIANCE 25-006; ZONING AMENDMENT 25-001
Dear Ms. Camps,
On behalf of the Palm Springs East Association (PSE) I am again writing to relay concerns about the Kings School expansion project. Please relay these concerns to the City Council ahead of the Public Hearing to consider this project. We are the 48 residential units along the north side of Bolero Road across from the school. Our Association met last week to discuss the project. After receiving direction from residents and the Board, as well as reviewing the Planning Commission meeting and the associated staff report, I wish to register our following concerns and requests:
1. There is confusion related to the designation of the driving path running the entire segment from Bolero Road to Carey Road. We are specifically interested in the path with the driveway off Bolero that drives along the east side of the school. This driving path has been referred to by staff as an alley, access lane, drive aisle, private access driveway, and fire lane.
We request this driving path be identified under a singular designation (i.e. access lane) for use in the Conditions and for all future staff reports (written and verbal) to end confusion.
2. There is also confusion as to how this driving path or access lane is to be utilized, and we are particularly concerned with the driveway on Bolero Road. As background, on August 26, 2025, you answered my email inquiry about the Bolero Road driveway and how this access lane is to be used by answering: “The alley/fire lane is gated and will be used for staff to access the staff parking lot, service/delivery access, and for fire access. The lane will not be available for general access, student drop-off or through traffic. We do not anticipate an increase in traffic volumes.”
Furthermore, during the Planning Commission meeting of September 3, 2025 (near the 10:45 mark of the meeting) you state that the “access lane” proposed for the east side of the school off Bolero Road will not be opened to the public and will not be used for student pick up or drop off. You also state this lane is only for use by staff, service providers and fire access, and gates on both ends of the access lane are locked during non-operational hours.
Both of your statements coincide with the fact that the Proposed Site Plan (Attachment 6) specifies exit only arrows onto Bolero Road from this access lane.
However, at the 20:57 mark of the meeting, the school’s Headmaster, Don Delair, declares this access lane will serve as an additional entry point for drop off and pick up of students from Bolero Road, in totaling “three entry points for the school” (referring to their parking lot, the turn around and this newly designed lane as their three entry points).
Palm Springs East opposes any form of student drop-off or pick-up, and any general ingress and egress traffic onto Bolero Road from the access lane on the east side of the school utilizing the driveway on Bolero Road. This is due to concerns with additional traffic (currently, there is little-to-none at this driveway), excess noise and headlight beams shining into our complex from the driveway. We can support specific access lane use by staff who utilize the south parking stalls, service providers and fire access.
Thus, at the Council Meeting, there is a need for the city to clearly outline the exact uses for this access lane, and for Kings School to acknowledge these outlined Conditions. Otherwise, parents will not get the message.
3. We request a rewrite of Section 3.21 and a portion of Section 4.37 of the Conditions for clarity purposes regarding the allowed access lane uses.
As background, in Section 3.21 of the Draft Conditions it currently reads:
The alley shall be used only for staff access to the southern parking area. The alley shall be kept clear for fire access at all times, and parking in the alley shall not be permitted.
Because it is not clear what “alley” refers to, we request Section 3.21 of the Conditions be amended to read as follows:
The Bolero Road driveway to the access lane on the east side of the school shall be used for staff ingress to the south employee parking lot, suppliers and service vehicles only. The lane will not be available for general access, student drop-off or through traffic. The lane shall be kept clear for fire access at all times, and parking in the lane, other than within the 25 marked employee stalls, shall not be permitted.
4. We request a rewrite of a portion of Section 4.37 of the Conditions for clarity purposes:
As background, the portion of Section 4.37 of the Draft Conditions we refer to contains the following language which seemingly opens the access lane to all types of users and uses. It currently reads as:
i. The private access driveways and parking lot collecting drive aisles will provide ingress and egress for employees, suppliers and service vehicles.
ii. Parents, students and employee parking are allowed in designated areas as generally shown on the CUP’s Plans.
We request the portion of Section 4.37 of the Conditions be amended to read as follows:
i. The Carey Road driveway to the school’s access lane will provide ingress and egress for staff access to the south parking lot, suppliers and service vehicles only.
The lane will not be available for general access or through traffic. ii. The Bolero Road driveway to the school’s access lane will provide ingress for staff access to the south parking lot, suppliers and service vehicles only. The lane will not be available for general access or through traffic. iii. Outside of (i) and (ii), parents, students and employee parking are allowed in designated areas as generally shown on the CUP’s Plans.
5. To address our concerns about the facility uses by outside users, the hours and types of uses, and the noise levels we request these Conditions be added to the CUP:
a) Use of facilities is limited to those directly sponsored and programmed by the school. No outside rentals, public use or Joint-Use programming will be allowed. b) Kings School hours of operation applicable to all facilities and grounds:
Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays – Indoor Facilities: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturdays – Open Field/Open Play Areas: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sundays: Closed
c) At no time shall the noise from school activities exceed 105 decibels. d) The inner and outer doors of the gymnasium/performing arts facility are to remain closed for the duration of the activity when noise levels are at 85 decibels or higher. e) At no time shall the noise from the school’s open areas, including the open field/retention basin, basketball courts and general outdoor recreation areas exceed 90 decibels. f) Electronic/artificial noisemakers, air horns and electronic amplifiers above 90 decibels are not allowed to be used on open field/retention basin, basketball courts and general outdoor recreation areas, as well as during sports play or competition within the gymnasium.
6. We request the installation of external light shields (available from the manufacturer) to be installed on each LED light (VALS V-Locity) in the west parking lot. Even though the lighting study concerning the Bolero Road parking lot lights demonstrates there is 0% lighting spillover beyond the parking lot, it doesn’t address the overall light visibility endured by Palm Springs East residents. With lampposts 12’ high, the 27,000 lumen LED lights will be visible to the neighbors in casting an eyesore of light where light was not seen before. This is akin to seeing sports field lighting from a distance. The lamp shields will help to mitigate the issues.
7. We request a Condition be added that caps Kings School’s enrollment at 300 students for the duration of the amended CUP given the following:
a) The city has received a letter from King School’s Headmaster Don Delair indicating the school has no plans to increase their current enrollment of 300; and b) The city has received a letter related to a Traffic Impact Analysis prepared by Christiansen & Company, August 18, 2025, and/or information from the city's Engineering department, which states the project design will not have an impact on traffic with the current enrollment of 300 students.
8. We request a Condition be included for the city to require the school to provide notification to residents within 500’ of the school’s boundaries for all future proposed construction projects and CUP amendments upon application to the city.
9. We believe the newly added uses to the school’s expanded facilities trigger a need for the city to conduct a traffic study and Environmental Impact Report that were otherwise waived.
Per Section 15162 (a) 2 and (a) 3 and (b) of the CEQA Guidelines the substantial changes and new information related to the numerous additional uses of facilities seem to apply here. With the newly built multipurpose building (with gymnasium and performing arts options), and the open field, Headmaster Don Delair has relayed to our residents that the school will be increasing the number of sporting and performing arts activities held on campus as the school focuses on these two activity offerings for their students.
While you stated the school would be adding one or two onsite events to their current calendar, the reality is that their onsite events will increase greatly (400+ events?) and involve expanded hours, weekdays after school, and weekends because nearly all events are currently held offsite due to lack of current campus facilities. These activities include but are not limited to conducting year-round sport games and daily practices (as broken into boys’ and girls’ teams by age); performing arts events and daily rehearsals; and expansion of the school’s special events and fundraisers. These activities bring additional traffic and noise to our neighborhood.
In closing, should the city exclude any of the above requests, we request a delay in consideration of this CUP so that we may conduct discussions with the city and school to mitigate the outlined matters.
Sincerely,
June Liu
President, Palm Springs East Association
cc: Tracey R. Hermosillo, City Clerk
[email protected]