What's Developing in Economic Development
Happy New Year from Cathedral City’s Economic Development Department! This coming year is going to be a great year to live, work and relax within our City. From a development standpoint, there is tremendous activity in our Downtown Arts and Entertainment District. Construction of the Agua Caliente casino is going much faster than anyone anticipated. Presently, construction crews are focused on preparing the site for vertical development. Just the other week the mound of dirt piled up on the western portion of the site reached almost three stories high! Once the over-excavation is complete, utilities go in and the site can be properly compacted. Afterwards, the foundation will be poured and the vertical construction can begin.
Just north of the future casino, construction of the new fire station is underway. They, too, are working on the horizontal portion of the project (grading, utilities and compaction). Vertical construction is expected to begin this summer with project completion expected by this fall.
Immediately south of the casino between East Palm Canyon, Van Fleet Street and “D” Street, Fountainhead Development (a Newport Beach, CA based commercial developer) is working closely with Economic Development and Planning to design what will be a fabulous new mixed-use development. Primary site components include retail, hotel and residential. Within the retail component, Fountainhead is working to attract a coffee concept, several fast-casual restaurants, and a bank. Since these deals take time and tenant interest changes, the general plans may vary in the end. That said, the needs expressed by Cove and southern Cathedral City residents have been heard and Economic Development is helping Fountainhead assemble a tenant mix responsive to our community’s needs!
Just west of City Hall, construction of the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater continues with work being focused on the stage structure as the park portion itself is nearly complete. Although the permanent stage will not be utilized for the Taste of Jalisco Festival on February 8th, major activities will take place inside the amphitheater park. So, stop at the festival and get a feel for what is coming to our downtown.
If you enjoy staying in-the-know, please bookmark DiscoverCathedralCity.com, www.ccshoplocal.com and http://www.ccedd.org/. These websites offer information on our City’s upcoming events, development projects and other amenities.
As you know, Cathedral City residents can help make our City more vibrant by “buying local” whenever possible and encouraging out-of-town guests to stay at one of Cathedral City’s several hotels. It makes economic “cents” for you to keep your tax dollars within the City which help fund local community services and programs. Furthermore, there is no better testimonial for attracting future new businesses than to make sure that our existing businesses are thriving!
Also, we appreciate your commitment to maintaining your residential and commercial properties. Routine maintenance shows respect and appreciation for ourselves, our neighbors, and our community. Property appearance is an important “selling point” when prospective homebuyers, businesses owners, and developers tour our City looking for the “perfect” location.
Thank you for being a part of our community.
