ATT_D_Project Report — Palm Springs City Council, November 12, 2025

ATTACHMENT D

Inspire Sunrise

PROJECT REPORT

Prepared by:

AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA INDIANS
5401 Dinah Shore Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92264

October 6, 2025

Inspire Sunrise Project Report October 6, 2025
i

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sections
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 II. EXISTING CONDITIONS ..................................................................................................... 2 III. STATEMENT OF PROJECT.................................................................................................... 2 IV. ARCHITECTURAL AND LANDSCAPE CONCEPT ................................................................. 5 V. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 5 VI. TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP NO. 39368 .................................................................................. 6 VII. FISCAL IMPACT ANALYSIS ................................................................................................. 6

Tables
TABLE 1 DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS COMPARISON ........................................................ 4 Exhibits

EXHIBIT A PROJECT SITE LOCATION

EXHIBIT B EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS

EXHIBIT C PROJECT SITE PHOTOS

EXHIBIT D SITE PLAN

EXHIBIT E ARCHITECTURAL ELEVATIONS

EXHIBIT F BUILDING RENDERINGS

EXHIBIT G FLOOR PLANS

EXHIBIT H PRELIMINARY LANDSCAPE PLAN
EXHIBIT I TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP NO. 39368

Inspire Sunrise Project Report October 6, 2025
1 I. INTRODUCTION

Inspire Sunrise (the “Project”) is a 62-unit, attached, upscale residential apartment development proposed to be constructed on approximately five acres of Tribal Trust land (the “Project Site”) of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians ( the “Tribe”).

The Project Site is located within Section 14, Township 4 South, Range 4 East of the San Bernardino Base and Meridian, Palm Springs, California, on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation at the southwest corner of Sunrise Way and Alejo Road. (See Exhibit A, Project Site Location Map).

As part of the project approval process and pursuant to the terms of the Agreement for Tribal/City Land Use Coordination on Certain Parcels (the “Land Use Coordination Agreement”) with the City of Palm Springs (the “City”) dated December 15, 1998, the Tribe has prepared this report on Inspire Sunrise (the “Project Report”) for the City’s administrative review. The following key Tribal and/or City actions establish the project approval process for Tribal lands:

1. On July 26, 1977, the Tribe and the City entered into Agreement No. 1324 (the “Land Use Agreement”) adopted by City Council Resolution No. 12298. Pursuant to the Land Use Agreement, the parties agreed that applications for issuance of permits and development pertaining to Indian Trust lands would initially be processed through the City, with the City collecting its normal fees and charges.

Any party aggrieved by an action of the City Council in any such planning and zoning matters was given the right to appeal any action of the City to the Tribal Council, with the Tribal Council having the ability, following a noticed hearing, to affirm, reverse, or modify any decision of the City Council on any matter affecting Indian Trust lands, with the decision of the Tribal Council being final, after considering the recommendation of the Indian Planning Commission, as well as applicable Federal and Tribal law.

2. On January 5 and July 27, 1995 , the City and the Tribe amended the Land Use Agreement with Supplement Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, which exempted certain Tribal lands from the Land Use Agreement.

3. On December 15, 1998, the Tribe and City entered into the aforementioned Land Use Coordination Agreement, which provides for City review and comment on projects exempted from the Land Use Agreement, while retaining the Tribe’s final approval and authority over projects on Tribal land.

4. On February 3, 1999, the City and the Tribe amended the Land Use Agreement with Supplement No. 5, which exempted all Tribal lands from the Land Use Agreement subject to the Land Use Coordination Agreement process.

5. On October 17, 2018, the City and the Tribe entered into an Amended and Restated Land Use Contract (the “Contract”) that superseded all prior agreements regarding land use between the Tribe and the City, including the Land Use Agreement and all supplements and amendments. As with the prior Land Use

Inspire Sunrise Project Report October 6, 2025
2 Agreement, the Contract exempts all Tribal lands which are then subject to the Land Use Coordination Agreement process.

This Project Report serves as an expanded project description and goes “hand in hand” with other submittal documents including technical reports and other pertinent information. The proposed P roject will be developed to the standards of development identified in this Project Report.

II. EXISTING CONDITIONS
Project Site
As shown on Exhibit B, Existing Site Conditions Map , the Project Site is vacant undeveloped land covered with scattered creosote brush. There is no curb, gutter, or public sidewalk installed along the northern edge of the Project Site, and the eastern edge only has curb and gutter with a partial sidewalk extending approximately 100’ south from the intersection of Alejo and Sunrise to an existing Sunline Transit Stop. (See Exhibit C, Project Site Photos ). Utility connections for water, sewer , natural gas, electricity, and telecommunication services are available, and the public streets fronting the Project Site include Sunrise Way to the east and Alejo Road to the north.

Surrounding Land Uses
Land uses on adjacent properties include:
• North – Single-Family Homes across Alejo Road
• West – United Methodist Church of Palm Springs
• South – United States Post Office
• East – Americana Gardens Condos across Sunrise Way

III. STATEMENT OF PROJECT

Family Development acting as Family Forward Communities, LLC (the “Developer”), through a ground lease with the Tribe, is proposing to build a gated residential community comprised of 62 upscale apartments with the following features:
• 13 two-story buildings with either four or five attached apartment units; • Units will range from 682 – 1,067 square feet;
• One bedroom with one bath and two bedrooms with two baths floor plans; • Forty-two attached two-car garages and twenty attached one-car garages; • Twenty-seven guest parking spots, two of which will be ADA accessible; • First-floor units include enclosed private patios;
• Second-story units include balconies;
• Communal recreational amenities include a pool, spa, and a dog park; and • Modern architecture.

Inspire Sunrise Project Report October 6, 2025
3 The Site Plan for the Project is included as Exhibit D, and the Architectural Elevations, Building Renderings , and unit Floor Plans, are provided as Exhibits E , F, and G, respectively. The Preliminary Landscape Plan, for the Project is included as Exhibit H.

The Project will be gated with the apartments fronting internal 24-foot-wide private roadways. Two entrances/exits provide access to the Project: a main driveway off Alejo Road with enhanced paving and a secondary emergency access point at the southeast corner off Sunrise Way . In addition to the one- and two-car garages provided for the apartments , twenty-seven guest parking spaces are positioned throughout the development. A landscape parkway with six-foot privacy walls is provided along the Project street frontages, and a decorative six-foot wall will be installed along the southern and western property boundaries.

Upon completion of construction , the Developer will contract with a professional management company that will be responsible for operating and maintaining the development.

A. Property Development Standards

Pursuant to the Land Use Coordination Agreement, the Project Report shall include “an analysis of the compatibility of the proposed Project with the City's and the Tribe's development standards and a statement identifying any manner in which the Project would be exempt from, or not conform to, any ordinance, rule, regulation, or standards of the City or of the Tribe.”

While the Project is located within the Section 14 Specific Plan (the “Specific Plan”) area, it is located on Tribal lands that are not subject to City land use regulations. As a result, the Specific Plan serves as a guiding framework, but does not bind the Tribe in its decision to approve the Project. Under the Specific Plan, t he Project Site is designated Medium Density Residential (MR) where multi-family residences are permitted subject to the development standards of the “R -2” limited multiple-family residential zone; however, if this Project were subject to City standards/regulations , the following development standards would need to be modified through the approval of a Planned Development District:
• Minimum open space; and
• Maximum lot coverage.

With or without the approval of a Planned Development District, the Project supports the Specific Plan’s residential vision by contributing to the “healthy variety of residential use types ” in Section 14, and by offering a product that “will attract permanent residents, including seniors, who will be served by the expanded services provided in the area.” The Project Site is also directly “connected by an enhanced walkway/bikeway network that leads to the streets with commercial activity.”

Table 1 on the following page compares the proposed development standards for the Project against the allowed/required standards of the MR/R-2 Zone with the above-identified Planned Development District modifications.

Inspire Sunrise Project Report October 6, 2025
4 Table 1 – Development Standards Comparison

Section 14 Specific Plan
Property Development Standard
Currently
Allowed/
Required
Planned
Development
District

Proposed
Project
Complies?
(yes/no)
Maximum Density1 15 du/ac No Change 15 du/ac2 Yes
Minimum Lot Area3 20,000 sq. ft. No Change 4.13 acres4 Yes Minimum Lot Dimensions5
Width 170’

No Change

290’ Yes
Depth 175’ No Change 616’ Yes
Minimum Open Space6 50% 40.7% 40.7% Yes7
Maximum Lot Coverage8 30% 32.5% 32.5% Yes7
Maximum Building Height9 24’ No Change 23’6.5” Yes
Minimum Distance Between Buildings10 15’ No Change 16’ Yes Minimum Setbacks (to buildings)
Alejo Road11
Sunrise Way12
Interior Side/Rear Yard13
30’
30’
10’14/23’6.5”15
No Change
No Change
No Change
30’
48’2.4”
20’6”/44’2.4”
Yes
Yes
Yes
Maximum Wall Height16 6’ No Change 6’ Yes
Minimum Parking Spaces17 102 No Change 131 Yes
1 Section 4.1.2 of the Section 14 Specific Plan.
2 62 units/4.13 net acres = 15 du/acre.
3 Palm Springs Municipal Code (PSMC) 92.03.03(A).
4 Net Project Site acreage, less existing rights-of-way for Sunrise Way and Alejo Road. 5 PSMC 92.03.03(B).
6 PSMC 92.03.04.
7 With the approval of a Planned Development District per section 94.03.00 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code. 8 PSMC 92.03.03(L).
9 Table 6-3 of the Section 14 Specific Plan.
10 PSMC 92.04.03(F).
11 PSMC 92.04.03(E)(3)(e).
12 PSMC 92.04.03(E)(2)(b).
13 PSMC 92.04.03(E)(3)(a) & (E)(4)(a).
14 Minimum setback to single story building elevation.
15 Minimum setback to second story building elevation.
16 PSMC 93.02.00(E)(2)(b).
17 PSMC 93.06.00(D)(31)(b).

As Table 1 illustrates, with the proposed revisions to minimum open space and maximum lot coverage requirements, the Project complies with all MR/R-2 development standards that would be established through the approval of a Planned Development District.

The minimal increase in lot coverage and open space reduction are necessary to achieve the highest and best use of Tribal land consistent with the purpose and intent of the Specific Plan and the creation of high quality, multi-family development in an urban setting.

Inspire Sunrise Project Report October 6, 2025
5 B. Circulation

A central gated entrance off Alejo Road provides access to the Project, with an additional secondary emergency access point located at the southeast corner off Sunrise Way. Internal circulation is provided by 2 4' wide private streets with 27 guest parking spaces (two ADA) positioned throughout the development. Eight-foot-wide public sidewalks adjacent to landscape parkways will provide pedestrian connectivity along Alejo Road and Sunrise Way, which streets will be fully built out along the Project frontage. Pedestrian gates are provided near the main entrance and at the southeast corner of the Project providing direct access to the adjacent public streets.

IV. ARCHITECTURAL AND LANDSCAPE CONCEPT

The Project will consist of 13 two-story buildings with modern architecture, comprised of either four or five apartments with varying layouts . Communal recreational amenities are provided at the northeast and southwest corners of the Project Site and include a pool and spa with restroom facilities and a BBQ area, and a dog park (see Exhibits E and H).

As shown on Exhibit H, Project landscaping includes a variety of low maintenance plant species that meet water efficiency requirements . The landscape parkways along Alejo Road and Sunrise Way include trees that provide shade for pedestrians.

In addition to the requirements of Chapter 5.12, Property Maintenance Standards, of the Agua Caliente Tribal Code, the Developer will be bound by the ground lease with the Tribe to maintain all common area landscaping , including the landscape parkways along Alejo Road and Sunrise Way.

V. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

The Section 14 Specific Plan was comprehensively amended in 2016, and an Initial Study/Environmental Assessment (IS/EA) was prepared at that time to assess the short- term, long-term, and cumulative environmental impacts that could result from future development under the amended Specific Plan. The 2016 IS/EA had been prepared to comply with Section 15063 of the State California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, and National Environmental Policy Act ( NEPA) regulations as mandated by 40 CFR 1500- 1508 and implemented by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) NEPA Handbook (59 IAM 3 -H). In addition, the 2016 IS/EA tiered from, and incorporated by reference, the 2002 Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) prepared for the original 2004 Section 14 Master Development Plan/Specific Plan.

Pursuant to the Tribal Environmental Policy Act (TEPA), codified as Chapter 5.04 of the Tribal Code, an environmental assessment shall be performed and prepared for every proposed major Tribal action; however, the term "major Tribal action" does not include such actions which are otherwise subject to environmental review under either federal or state law. Since the 2016 IS/EA prepared for Section 14 Specific Plan was

Inspire Sunrise Project Report October 6, 2025
6 intended to cover future development within the plan area, and it was prepared pursuant to CEQA and NEPA and adopted by the City and BIA, no further environmental review is required for this Project under TEPA.

The Project would also be considered categorically exempt from further CEQA review as it meets the criteria established in Section 15332 (Class 32 – “In-Fill Development Project”) of the CEQA Guidelines, as it ’s generally “consistent with the applicable general plan designation and all applicable general plan policies as well as with applicable zoning designation and regulations.” Notwithstanding these TEPA and CEQA exemptions, the Project will be conditioned to comply with all applicable measures included in the 2016 IS/EA and 2002 EIR/EIS.

VI. TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP NO. 39368

A tentative parcel map has been prepared for the proposed Project , for lease purposes, consisting of one numbered lot for the 62 apartments and private common areas, and three lettered lots for the public rights-of-way along the perimeter of the Project (see Exhibit I).

VII. FISCAL IMPACT ANALYSIS

The Project will be conditioned to pay the standard development impact fees typically imposed by the City of Palm Springs, including, but not limited to, sewer and drainage fees, public art fees, park (Quimby Act) fees, regional traffic impact (in-lieu TUMF) fees, school fees, etc. In addition, a Community Facilities District (CFD) will be formed, or the Project will be annexed to an existing CFD, under which a special tax will be levied based on the number of residences in the Project. This special tax pays for new police, fire protection and suppression, and life safety services of the City required to sustain the service delivery capability for emergency and non-emergency services to new growth areas. Therefore, with the incorporation of these fees and taxes, the Project will have a negligible impact on public services, while having a beneficial impact to the local economy by provid ing more housing opportunities in the City.

Palm Springs City CouncilNovember 12, 2025

Palm Springs City Council
November 12, 2025