Hello from Palm Springs Everybody!!

We can revitalize our downtown...

guest post from Travis Armstrong and David Carden

Over the past decade, residents of Palm Springs have witnessed the demise of the downtown business corridor, which is strewn with countless vacant storefronts, and the impasse over any renovations of the Desert Fashion Plaza between the City Council and John Wessman continues.
Meanwhile, rents remain so high and continue to rise to a point that it is impossible to spur new businesses to open or current businesses to remain profitable as our economy continues to struggle. What can we do to revitalize downtown Palm Springs?
Partner with Wessman
First, I would support using redevelopment funds to partner with Wessman to move renovation plans forward quickly.
At the same time, the city should hire a consulting firm that specializes in analyzing the shopping needs of locals and tourists, and map out ways of enticing regional and national chains to come to downtown.
The consulting firm of Economic Development Systems has done this successfully in downtown Long Beach and has just been hired to do a study for Napa, which is in a situation similar to Palm Springs.
If a redevelopment plan does not work for Wessman, then I support a bond issue to raise the funds to purchase the Desert Fashion Plaza and the city of Palm Springs would be free to become a partner with a new developer or package the site and chose a developer to go forward with renovations based on the vision of our residents and keeping the "village character" as outlined in our master plan.
Meet with property owners
Second, city officials should meet with all downtown commercial property owners, their management team and leasing agents to find out why we continue to have vacant storefronts (some have been vacant since 1999) and what they suggest to jump-start renting them out. Maybe there is something we have missed all these years.
Monitor vacant building rules
Third, the City Council needs to re-evaluate existing vacant building ordinances and see where they might be strengthened to add a monthly monitoring fee on all vacancies. The city of Long Beach modified its ordinance in 2008, which included registering all vacant storefronts, monthly inspections by code enforcement/building department to ensure that the properties remain clean, in compliance and ready to rent. Those monthly monitoring inspections stay in effect until the storefront is rented. This incentive is long overdue.
Put rents on a sliding scale
Fourth, and most important, I recommend that commercial property owners consider a graduated rental agreement where rents would be reduced to a fair and equitable level for years one and two, the rent would increase in year three and again in years four and five. (Example: begin rent at $1,800 for first two years, increase to $2,200 in year three and then to $2,800-$3,000 in years four and five).
The heart and soul of the city of Palm Springs is our downtown and I have to believe that with a new sense of supporting positive change downtown, this is the perfect time to put our own new footprint on downtown and our economic future.
David Carden, who placed fourth in this week's race for the Palm Springs City Council, is a Realtor with Windermere and chairman of Baristo Neighborhood Organization. Travis Armstrong is former editor of the Santa Barbara News-Press and he's an Indian on the run...
Palm Springs is kinda like Santa Barbara without the ocean!