MD's Newsletter: Reins of Change
A Proposal to Build Out an Equestrian Community in the Eastern Coachella Valley Promises Badly Needed Infrastructure—but Could Lead to Gentrification
(Below you’ll find an excerpt from my latest piece published at CV Independent. I hope it provides a nuanced look at the tensions around development in the desert. Please consider sharing the link with your networks or anyone you think may be interested in learning more).
The grounds of the Desert International Horse Park are immaculate. Bushes of bougainvillea and palm trees line well-kept pathways that wind through more than a dozen competition rings and stables for more than 2,000 horses on any given day in-season.
Riders in helmets and trainers holding lead ropes roamed the property on a recent crisp afternoon, enjoying the opportunity to train and compete before the heat arrives. Seemingly everybody held the leash of a well-behaved dog.
Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) is an east valley facility responsible for an economic impact of as much as $260 million annually, per the owners’ estimate. But the investors and developers see even more growth potential. That’s why CEO Jeremy Smith and his team are asking Riverside County to approve plans for Thermal Ranch, a development of more than 600 acres located south of Avenue 62 along Harrison Street.
Smith told the Independent that his team sees the proposal as a way to grow the equestrian community while benefiting the local economy. They took over the park about six years ago and have already invested about $20 million to rehab the facility, which draws as many as 400,000 guests each season. But with a larger footprint, the desert could rival Florida as the home of winter racing and become another recreation-driven attraction for the Coachella Valley.
“Our goal is to make sure that the West Coast sport is at a high enough level, and we get enough people out here to support this industry,” Smith said.
The proposal includes 862 private homes, workforce housing, a hotel and commercial development centered around a state-of-the-art equestrian center that’s 30% larger than the existing facility. It would also pay for an electricity substation and a 5-million-gallon water tank that could be used by the existing community and support future development. The county alone would see a net fiscal impact of more than $2.7 million annually, according to an estimate shared at a community meeting.
But the plans highlight an inevitable tension that comes up every time there’s a proposal for a shiny new development: As with the Thermal Club and the Thermal Beach Club before it, many eastern Coachella Valley residents have spoken out against Thermal Ranch, because they’re concerned it will exacerbate the systemic inequities challenging the impoverished region.
Smith wants to break ground this fall, which would happen under the watch of a Riverside County planning process. The proposed site of Thermal Ranch has been farmland for decades and will require a zoning change. A public comment period for the project’s draft environmental impact review closed in January, yielding six letters that raised concerns about social and environmental challenges. Among those was a letter from advocates at Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, with signatures from more than 70 residents, plus community groups Youth Leadership Institute and Coachella Unincorporated.
“The introduction of high-end residential and recreational spaces would only serve to exacerbate these inequalities, driving up local housing costs and displacing vulnerable populations,” the letter read. “ECV residents strongly oppose the proposed development, not only because it threatens their economic stability, but also because it represents an imposition of outside priorities over the community’s priorities and needs.”
This story is made possible in part by a grant from the IE Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund of the Inland Empire Community Foundation. To submit ideas, comments or questions to the Coachella Valley Independent about housing in the desert, head to this Google Form.