Business Historic District

On September 14, 2023, the Palm Springs city council voted unanimously (5-0) to approve amendments to the Las Palmas Business Historic District.  According to the city staff report, the “amendments better reflect the significant historic resources of the area and bring the district into compliance with current national standards and the City’s recently updated historic preservation ordinance.” 

To read the city staff report click here.

On December 7, 2021, after several unsuccessful attempts over the years, the city’s Historic Site Preservation Board unanimously agreed to updates to the Las Palmas Business Historic District. The updates included adopting a context statement; establishing the period of significance as 1920 through 1969; evaluating individual sites and buildings which added to the percentage of contributing properties in the district, strengthened the commercial theme, and added important post-war commercial buildings that were not considered in the establishment of the district in 1986; and amending the boundaries of the district.

At the August 11, 2009 Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB) meeting, city staff announced that while cleaning out files they “discovered” paperwork regarding an administratively forgotten historic district. The Las Palmas Business Historic District was created by Palm Springs City Council Resolution No. 15858 on May 7, 1986 – more than 23 years ago. City staff indicated that a legal review of the documentation revealed that the historic district remains valid. The full implications of this discovery will be the topic of the September 8, 2009 HSPB meeting. In short, the properties designated as Class 3 and Class 4 sites under the city’s earlier preservation ordinance are equivalent to (respectively) non-contributing and contributing properties in an historic district. Future proposed alterations to these historic properties (whether contributing or non-contributing) will require review by the city’s HSPB.