Your current version of Macromedia Flash Player cannot display this site.
Downloading the latest version is free and will only take a moment.
Be sure to come back and explore our site when you are finished.
|
YOUR BEST CHOICE FOR PALM SPRINGS REAL ESTATE - RESORT PROPERTIES - DESERT HOMES What's New in Rancho Mirage? Annenberg Foundation gives $10M more to Eisenhower Mariecar Mendoza • The Desert Sun • December 20, 2007 RANCHO MIRAGE - Eisenhower Medical Center's newest project, a four-story inpatient facility, is on its way to completion thanks to another donation from the Annenberg Foundation The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion, named for one of the desert's most prominent philanthropic couples, received a $10 million gift from the Annenberg Foundation for its construction. The foundation's total donations to "Campaign Eisenhower" is now $100 million - halfway toward the second-phase goal of $200 million, said center spokeswoman Lee Fowler. The $212.5 million Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion is just part of "Campaign Eisenhower," which is a larger project to expand the medical center. The campaign has already raised $308 million, Fowler added. "Words cannot adequately express our profound gratitude to Mrs. Walter Annenberg," said Henry M. Goldstein, chairman of the board at Eisenhower Medical Center, in a press release. "Their benevolence is unsurpassed and has allowed Eisenhower Medical Center to continue our vital capital expansion that will help fund projects imperative to our patients." Walter Annenberg established the The Annenberg Foundation in 1989. It provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations through its headquarters in Pennsylvania and offices in Los Angeles, according to the foundation's Web site. Construction on the 250,000-square-foot pavilion began in January and is expected to be completed in 2009. It will feature amenities such as beds for overnight guests and in-room dining facilities. The building will meet state requirements for seismic safety. The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion will join the Eisenhower Medical Center campus' Barbara Sinatra Children's Center, the Betty Ford Center and the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences. Lost in the city? Signs meant to solve issue Colin Atagi • The Desert Sun • December 24, 2007 Rancho Mirage officials want drivers and pedestrians to know when they're entering the city limits. That's why the city is spending $84,000 to install entry monuments at three intersections around the community. "Now that there's more development going in out there and we've got medians landscaped we decided to put them in," Public Works Director Bruce Harry said. "Some people don't know where the city limits are." The signs, which each weigh about 2,000 pounds, will be installed at the intersections of Frank Sinatra Drive and Monterey Avenue, Gerald Ford Drive and Monterey and Dinah Shore Drive and Plumley Road. They will be similar in looks and size to existing signs, such as the one on Highway 111 between Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City. They will have built-in lights to make them visible at night. Lighting should be installed in January. "Sounds good to me," Palm Desert resident Earl Hibbert said. "Unless I'm on Highway 111 and instead using back roads, I don't know if I'm in Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert or Cathedral City." Road work is scheduled to also take place on Bob Hope Drive. The city will add a right-turn pocket lane to northbound Bob Hope at Country Club Drive. Two northbound lanes will remain open during construction. "It's a very simple project - it won't mess traffic up at all," Harry said. Work is scheduled to begin in March or April. Agua Caliente Casino fires up new lounge Judith Salkin • The Desert Sun • November 17, 2007 With its hotel scheduled to open in spring 2008, the Agua Caliente Casino is in the midst of making a few changes in and around the casino, too. Restaurants will change spaces over the next several months in anticipation of the opening. The first change can be seen tonight at 8 p.m. when The Lounge opens in two-thirds of the space that was the Cahuilla Showroom. At just about 2,500-square feet, the new lounge will seat 80-150 guests depending on the setup of the room. The new room, said Agua Caliente Casino General Manager Scott Cooper, is a throwback to the lounges of 1960s. "That was the energy we're going for," he adds. Not a nightclub or a cabaret, the room will feature live music on weekends. "It's a twist on the old Las Vegas lounges," he said. "There's no cover and no velvet ropes. The Lounge is open to everybody. What we didn't want was bouncers deciding who's allowed in." The Lounge is a classy place with a retro feel. Hardwood floors, red leather tuck-and-roll banquettes, table seating and a stage with concert lights and sound system give it the va-va-voom of Vegas in the '60s. A video poker bar backs onto a new gaming space that takes up the remaining third of the old Cahuilla room. Slots have been moved around the gaming floor, creating a bit more walking room. "We can't add any machines just yet," Cooper said of the wait for the outcome of the challenges to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indian and other tribes' new compacts with the state, Cooper added. From the bar, guests walk through a hall of fire. Actually red and orange mini-lights line the hall walls, but the effect adds heat to the new room. Along with The Lounge's full bar, there will be bar munchies like nuts, but no food service in the room. The casino will close the current Canyons Lounge and also the Steakhouse. The restaurant will move to the hotel, and the space will become a new bar and more gaming floor as the hotel opening gets closer. Hours for The Lounge will vary, Cooper said, but will generally be noon-2 a.m., with entertainment by popular Southern California groups from 8 p.m.-midnight or 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m., depending on the group. "Sunday afternoons we'll have Mike Costley, who plays in the Canyons Lounge," Cooper added. With the transformation, Agua Caliente Casino doesn't have the availability for showcase or main stage acts. "When the hotel opens, we'll have a room that will seat about 600 theater-style," Cooper said. A new state-of-the-art headliner showroom will be built on the east side of the building that will seat around 2,000 for concerts and construction will start once the hotel is completed. "We hope to open it by the end of 2008," he said. New shopping center on tap?Colin Atagi • The Desert Sun • August 18, 2007 Plans for empty 111 lot have been submitted************** Eisenhower expansionErica Solvig • The Desert Sun • July 21, 2007 Nearly 15 hours. More than 85 trucks. About 650 And that's just the beginning of building the $212.5 million expansion at "Schedule is important," The Desert Sun April 7, 2007
No details have been released about Ford, who celebrates her 89th birthday on Easter Sunday. Officials have said she is "recovering well" but have not revealed the surgery. Ford, a longtime resident of Rancho Mirage, was last at Eisenhower a year ago - in April 2006 - for unspecified tests. "The President and Mrs. Bush wish Mrs. Ford all the best and a speedy recovery," White House spokeswoman Emily Larimore said Friday. The staff at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in "We have sent to her a combined Easter, birthday and get well card from the staff," library director Elaine Didier said. About 15 orders - including those from Dolores Hope and former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw - already have been placed at Signature Florists in Rancho Mirage, said John Ballow, who also provided arrangements during President Gerald Ford's funeral. "It's quite of plethora," he said of the orders, which came from everyone from "
Ford still lives in the Rancho Mirage home she and the president shared since they left the White House in 1977. She is the co-founder and former chairwoman of the substance abuse recovery center,
City sues district over new school site Colin Atagi and Mandy Zatynski The city of Rancho Mirage has filed a lawsuit against the Palm Springs Unified School District asking a Riverside County judge to block the district's plans to build a new school on city land. City officials also accuse the district of "abusing their discretion" because the district's environmental impact report contains inconsistencies and therefore violates state environmental guidelines. The inconsistencies arise in exactly how many students will attend the school, according to the Feb. 7 lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court. The district is seeking to build the new high school on the northeast corner of Da Vall Drive and Ramon Road. The school district wants to build the school on 80 acres of land adjacent to the Tuscany community. But last September, the Rancho Mirage Planning Commission voted 4-0 to support city staff's recommendation that the project does not conform to Rancho Mirage's general plan. Nevertheless, last month, the school board voted in favor of continuing with the project. School officials say a new facility would help alleviate the growing student body at Cathedral City High School. Residents have expressed support and dismay toward the project. Tuscany residents say the high school will create unnecessary noise and traffic in their backyards, while parents think the project would benefit children. In the suit, city leaders also argue that the school would create pedestrian and vehicle congestion, noise and increase crime, among other problems. The suit further states that the school district does not provide enough details on the high school's stadium project. Board members declined to comment on pending litigation Tuesday night. They said they would respond to the lawsuit in a timely manner but did not give specifics. Board member Justin Blake did say he was "very disappointed in the government in the city that I call home right now." "We have, in very good faith, participated with the city and their planning commission in an effort to build the school to everyone's satisfaction," he said. "It is disappointing that rather than continue with that open dialogue the city has chosen to spend untold tax dollars from the citizens of Rancho Mirage and caused the district millions of dollars in delay and legal fees." The lawsuit is a sign that the city is not happy with the school project, Councilman Gordon Moller said. He hopes things could be resolve outside of court, he said. Trail block causes flap for hikers The Desert Sun Local hikers are split over Desert Drive homeowners' decision to block off the Bump and Grind Trail entrance by converting the neighborhood into a gated community. Residents on the eight-home street plan to convert their neighborhood into a gated community, which would prevent hikers from walking on the street and to the trail. They say hikers make noise all day, take their property and have been verbally abusive. "Some people ruin it for all of us," Palm Desert hiker Beth Broderick, 18, said Friday. "I wish it wouldn't have to be blocked off, but if people are being mean to (residents), they need to do what they have to." Homeowners became even more determined to find a solution after La Quinta resident Kara Kaltenbach, 30, was killed when she was hit by a Burrtec Waste and Recycling Services garbage truck on Tuesday. Buford Crites, who serves on the Friends of the Desert Mountains, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains Advisory Board, said the homeowners aren't doing anything illegal. Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert had already begun work on establishing a new trailhead behind the Town Center stores on Highway 111. It's scheduled to open in March. "It's a good solution if they find a new trailhead," Palm Springs hiker Robin Kauder said, Friday. "It's a win-win situation." But even with a new trailhead, there are hikers who are upset about the change. "It's not right for those of us who have been friendly," said Palm Desert hiker Jerry Hernandez, 36. "We haven't done anything wrong, but we're being punished. It'll just change everyone's daily routine." Time's up for worker parking at The River The Desert Sun
A temporary parking lot for The River employees won't be coming any time soon. The Rancho Mirage shopping center's owners, London, England-based Grosvenor Group, had until 5 p.m. Thursday to sign an agreement with the city to lease property on San Jacinto Drive for employee parking. But by the time the deadline came, no signature was on the dotted line. "By Wednesday, we knew it was unlikely they were going to sign on," Rancho Mirage Economic Development Director Curt Watts said. Watts said Grovesnor representatives indicated they were still studying the feasibility of a parking structure at The River. They may consider using money that would have been spent on a temporary lot on a permanent garage, he said. Grosvenor representatives did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday afternoon. The city will continue to discuss the temporary parking lot whenever possible, but it would need to be added to a City Council agenda and obtain full approval from city leaders all over again. Officials hoped the 300-plus employee parking spaces would have freed up enough spots in The River's 1,700-space parking lot to give customers some relief from the parking crunch. "It would have been good relief if we had it," Cathedral City resident Eileen Smith said Monday afternoon while shopping at The River. "It's hard to find parking, especially on the weekend. Every little bit (of extra space) would have helped." Former president back at Colorado residence Erica Solvig and Marie McCain RANCHO MIRAGE - Former President Gerald Ford returned to his Colorado summer home Wednesday after a two-night stay at a hospital there, as reported at thedesertsun.com. The 93-year-old was admitted to Vail Valley Medical Center on Monday after experiencing shortness of breath at his Beaver Creek home, hospital spokesman Scott Boie said. "It went very well," he said of Ford's stay. News of Ford's hospitalization was not announced until Wednesday morning - just hours before the nation's oldest living president returned home. Ford's chief of staff, Penny Circle, issued a brief statement announcing he had gone to the hospital. But her office said no other details would be released. Ford and his wife, Betty, left for Colorado just days before his birthday on July 14. His birthday prompted national leaders and friends, including President Bush and former President Jimmy Carter, to send him greetings. The Fords have lived in Rancho Mirage's Thunderbird Estates since leaving the White House in 1977. Though they have not been seen publicly as frequently as in years past, both remain active with charity work. They are honorary chairs of the Republican Women of Palm Springs' September fundraiser. Ford was last hospitalized in January, spending 11 nights at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage for pneumonia. He was also admitted to Eisenhower in 2003 after getting dizzy playing golf on a hot day and in 2005 for what Circle described as a "horrible cold." Ford had suffered two minor strokes in 2000 while at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
The Lodge may get new brand The Lodge at Rancho Mirage hasn't operated under the Ritz-Carlton brand name for more than four years, but that may change next year when the local hotel reopens after a planned major expansion and renovation. Rancho Mirage officials confirmed on Friday that the city received a letter of intent from luxury hotel group Ritz-Carlton to operate the mountain-top hotel, as reported Thursday on thedesertsun.com. Ritz-Carlton, which has 59 hotels in 20 countries, with many more planned, has been "very keen" on getting involved, said Herbert Spiegel, vice president of GenCom Group, an affiliate of GENLB-Rancho LLC, which owns The Lodge. The hotel plans to close Aug. 13 for renovation, and Ritz-Carlton would take over near the 2007 opening date, Spiegel said. The Rancho Mirage Planning Commission voted 5-0 Thursday to approve the hotel's expansion project. It's scheduled to go before the city council Aug. 3. Rancho Mirage council rejects housing project plan Colin Atagi
A proposed housing development in Rancho Mirage is going back to the drawing board, to the joy of residents who live near the proposed project site. The Rancho Mirage City Council voted 5-0 at Thursday's regular council meeting to deny Anaheim-based Palms & Sands' proposal for 33 homes on 5.47 acres south of Mirage Cove Drive between Highway 111 and Peterson Road. A city plan allows a maximum of 27 homes on that amount of land. Nearby residents attended the meeting and told city leaders that the development would create traffic congestion and that the developer should adhere to the same requirements that they had to. Even though the developer, Ken Catanzarite of Palms & Sands, ultimately reduced his plan from 51 homes to 33, Barry Dykes, who lives in the area, told city leaders he didn't think there was a bona fide attempt to conform to city regulations. "He's requested variances to just about everything," Dykes said at the meeting. Councilman Alan Seman did not want to set a precedent by granting Catanzarite a variance. "If we unilaterally change the rules, than why do we have rules?" Seman asked. Eight Rancho Mirage residents, two of whom do not live near the site, spoke against the project during a public hearing. Councilmembers asked some of them if they would approve of the project if the developer followed city guidelines, and they said yes. "I'd welcome it and take the developer out to the best dinner in town," resident Dennis Mileti said. But the proposal, complete with setbacks shorter than those normally allotted in the city, were not deemed acceptable. "This is density you'd consider in the Bronx section of New York," resident Joseph Wilson said. Councilman Ron Meepos was initially in favor of the project, saying it would make use of property that had faced obstacles in being developed over the years. He also thought the new homes would enhance the already existing ones. He told audience members that they were making it hard for him to decide how to vote, but he subsequently went against the project with his fellow councilmen. Catanzarite said after the meeting that it wasn't the end for his project. "We'll take (the council's) comments to heart and we'll be back," he said. The Lodge aiming for outdoor ambiance with new design Colin Atagi If all goes according to plan, in about two years The Lodge at Rancho Mirage will have a new design that will have visitors clamoring to get out of their rooms to enjoy the scenery. The designers behind the hotel's planned expansion gave a presentation Thursday to the Rancho Mirage Planning Commission on a design they say would give the property more outdoors ambiance. They provided a list of plans that include an earth-toned exterior, natural lighting indoors, desert landscaping and outdoor restaurants. "We're trying not to (commercialize) this but create a place that feels indigenous (to the Coachella Valley)," said Stephen Poe, associate principal with Santa Monica-based EDSA, which specializes in planning, landscaping and urban and graphic design. Planning commissioners want the hotel to have the proper image. "We want to say it's the greatest spa in the world, and it should look like it from the inside and outside," Commissioner Ira Laufer said at the meeting. The hotel is scheduled to be closed from Aug. 13 until the 2007 tourist season for the project. The expansion plan calls for a $35 million spa and more than 100 condominiums on 14 acres. Planned features include: A bridge over Frank Sinatra Drive linking the hotel and the present tennis court areas, which would be eliminated to make room for more homes. An outdoor patio area at the edge of the courtyard that would provide seating for lunch or dinner with a view of the Coachella Valley. A patio grill with canopy structures for casual lunches and formal dinners. |
This Website is not the official Website of Prudential California Realty. Prudential California Realty, does not make any representation or warranty regarding any information, including without limitation its accuracy or completeness, contained on this Website. All information herein has not been verified and is not guaranteed . Webmaster takes no responsibility for accuracy of data.
copyright Claudine Messika 2007
