WRITTEN
PUBLIC
COMMENTS
CITY COUNCIL
MEETING
APRIL 7, 2026
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Washington 111, Ltd.
c/o JACK TARR DEVELOPMENT
COMPANY
30240 Rancho Viejo Road
Suite “B”
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Telephone (949) 795-1401
Fax (949) 443-1233
[email protected]
April 7, 2026
Dear City Council:
Re: Request to For Minor Modifications to the Item #1 of Public Hearings;
ADOPT A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION (ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT 2024-0002, SCH# 2025050964) AND (2) APPROVE SPECIFIC PLAN 2022-0002; AND (3) INTRODUCE FOR FIRST READING AN
ORDINANCE TO APPROVE ZONE CHANGE 2024-0002, AND ZONING
ORDINANCE AMENDMENT 2024-0002 FOR THE HIGHWAY 111 SPECIFIC PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT CODE PROJECT; CEQA: A MITIGATED
NEGATIVE DECLARATION (ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 2024-0002, SCH# 2025050964) HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT; LOCATION: GENERALLY NORTH OF AVENUE 48, SOUTH OF THE
COACHELLA VALLEY STORMWATER CHANNEL, EAST OF WASHINGTON
STREET AND WEST OF JEFFERSON STREET
Dear City Clerk and City Council:
I am the Managing General Partner of Washington 111, LTD (“Washington Park).
As such, I have been a landowner/developer within the City of La Quinta for more than 20 years. It has been my goal to work constructively with the City for our mutual benefit.
Your Staff has graciously met with us several times. Some of our recommendations have been accepted by Staff. However, there a few items that Staff has not agreed to and we are respectfully requesting that the City Council consider the following modifications to the 111 Corridor Specific Plan.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING - APRIL 7, 2026 - WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS BY WASHINGTON 111, LTD (WASHINGTON PARK)
GENERAL PARTNER CHARLES TARR - REQUESTING MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROPOSED SPECIFIC PLAN PUBLIC HEARING ITEM NO. 1 - HIGHWAY 111 CORRIDOR SPECIFIC PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATE | Page 2
Background Information and Discussion of Issue:
Washington Park shopping center (Washington Park) was approved by the Washington Park Specific Plan, Amendment No. 4 (170 pages) on May 7, 2003.
This Specific Plan Amendment was request of us by the City and focused only on Washington Park, was extensively negotiated and considered the context of the property’s location in relationship to the surrounding Community including the “Corridor” of Highway 111. In reliance on the Washington Park Specific Plan, Washington 111, LTD expended significant time, effort and money to implement thisSpecific Plan, including, among other things, having City approved CC&R’s recorded against its property.
Washington Street is considered a High Traffic arterial (one of the heaviest travelled in the Coachella Valley) and carries 8,000 to 10,000 cars a day more than Highway 111. Washington Street is an auto oriented arterial.
One of the purposes of the WP Specific Plan was to create a development that has clarity, focus, a degree of certainty for all stakeholders that can be relied on and is well designed (including highlighted architectural site and building components). The existing proposed Specific Plan sometimes referred to as the Corridor Study removes an existing land use category (Auto Oriented Uses), we presently have and is coveted by us and others.
Washington Park is requesting that the City Council agree to change the following:
1. 9.105.020 Highway 111 Mixed Use (HMU) Zone Standards Section C. Zones Established – 2. Overlay Zones - b. Auto-Oriented Development Overlay Zone (AOD): “The AOD Overlay Zone implements the “Auto-Oriented Development Policy” and applies to all parcels or portions of parcels within 300 feet of Highway 111 as measured from the edge of the Highway 111 right-of-way, see Figure 9.105-020-3 (in the Development Code).” Washington Park Request: The Auto-Oriented Overlay Zone, as proposed only encompasses that part of the frontage along Hwy 111 noted above. Some of the Permitted Uses that are now only allowed within the AOD have been stripped | Page 3
from the overall HMU (due to the prescribed areas that define the AOD, see Figure 9.105-020-3 AOD Overlay) which results in negatively impacting the property value and therefore not allowed within the greater portion of the Washington Park Shopping Center. The Uses that were previously allowed within the current CG Zone (and Washington Park Specific Plan) are now not allowed in the proposed Highway Mixed Use Zone (HMU) which unilaterally changes the anticipated uses originally agreed upon in the original Specific Plan.
Stakeholders of parcels outside of the AOD are now limited to Uses that do not include, restaurants with drive thru access including Starbucks, Dutch Brothers and 7 Brew Coffee, convenience stores with fuel bays (electric or fluid), auto repair, auto repair-specialty shops, car washes, vehicle sales (New and Used), vehicle leasing.
Washington Park is respectfully requesting that the auto-oriented uses be left in place via a Conditional Use Permit process.
Washington Park Request: That the following Uses be added to the Use Tables with the following designations “Permitted, Conditional Use Permit, Minor Site Use Permit”
a. Auto Dealership (New and Used)
b. Carwash
c. Auto Concierge/Automotive Country Club (e.g. Finish Line Auto Club) d. Convenience store with fuel station bays (fluid or electric) e. Restaurants and/or Coffee with Drive-Thru access
There has been expressed interest for the above “Uses” from qualified operators.
Negotiations with property stakeholders and potential users have been underway for some time, therefore it is our opinion that not allowing these Uses would be a conflict with the existing Specific Plan. The Washington Park owners have participated in the Specific plan hearing for years in good faith, and had no actual knowledge of impending changes until recently, and had no reason to suspect a new regulation. The Washington Park owners/stakeholders have spent significant funds relying on the existing Specific Plan. | Page 4
Removal of these uses from the Washington Park project reduces competitive choices for users in the marketplace and benefits Corridor Property Owners both private and public owned (City of La Quinta). Some might be led to conclude that there is at the very least the appearance of conflict for a public entity who owns competing property to eliminate a competitor by changing the uses allowed on the competitor’s property.
Of particular note is one interested party, a National Brand Automobile dealership who has identified one of the City of La Quinta Highway 111 owned properties as a potential first choice BUT if cannot come to agreement with the City would reconsider our property as their ‘revised’ first choice.
We cannot identify one letter from an individual constituent of any elected official, a competing “private” property owner, an election platform promise from any subsequently elected official over the past 23 years, much less a community upswell requesting that the City remove the auto oriented uses on our property.
Furthermore there is no public safety, health or welfare issue that arises. We are unable to identify the nexus of why these uses are being eliminated or any reasonable rationale for not allowing these use on the undeveloped balance of the Washington Park.
In addition, in discussions with Staff and Jonathan Linkus of GHD, the lead consultant planning firm retained by the City expressed no reservations against auto oriented uses provided they could be designed to comply with the intent of the Specific Plan design goals. It would appear that the so-called Corridor expectation is that auto oriented uses can comply with the design criteria. There is no reason that an auto oriented use on the Washington Park project with Washington Street frontage cannot meet a reasonable design criterion that is fair and just.
This led to a discussion of maintaining these auto-oriented uses “in-place” but revising the language so there would be a required Conditional Use Permit condition added to the approval process of auto related uses as a potential solution. This restriction is not within the existing Specific Plan Amendment approved in 2003 nor was it discussed at the time.
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Washington Park was approved by the City of La Quinta Planning Commission as a Specific Plan (Washington Park SP-1987-011). The purpose of this approval method was to ensure adequate implementation of the General Plan and for providing guidance for ensuring high quality development, and orderly growth that aligns with the community vision. Requirements of this Specific Plan along with “Permitted Uses” are part of stakeholder expectations. This new Development Code and Specific Plan may cause many of the stakeholders concern about liability for future needs in as much as Washington Park has already successfully implemented many of the Specific Plan requirements.
An aerial photo of the impacted subject Parcels labelled: 1, 2, 3 & 6 is attached.
For these reasons, we would appreciate the City Council considering these changes and then modifying the Project to incorporate these changes.
Very truly yours,
Washington 111, Ltd.
a California limited partnership
By: Managing General Partner
JTDC, LLC
a Delaware limited liability company
Its: General Partner
By: _____________________
Charles J. Tarr
Its: Member
w/attachment.
cc: City Clerk (Monica Radeva): [email protected] Cheri L. Flores | Planning Manager: [email protected]