PALM SPRINGS (California) — Monday saw the blaze at the abandoned Bel Air Greens Golf Course in Palm Springs. The future of this beleaguered course is uncertain.
According to the Palm Springs Fire Department there were no injuries from the fire. Capt. According to Nathan Gunkel, spokesperson for the fire department, there were no injuries from the fire. The 1000 block of South El Cielo Road is where the abandoned clubhouse structure can be found.
The former Tommy Jacobs Bel Air Greens course is where the clubhouse is found. The nine-hole course was opened in 1972 and closed in 2014. It has since fallen into neglect and disuse.
The city’s planning committee criticized a plan to build 74 single-family houses on the property in July. Commissioners expressed frustration that less than half of the land would be left open. In 2019, city rules required that at least half of an ex-golf course property be redeveloped.
Jeff Kelsheimer, a Palm Springs firefighter, sprays foam on hotspots following a Monday fire at the former Tommy Jacobs Bel Air Greens Golf Course in Palm Springs. (Photo by Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun).
The July meeting was a chance for the commission learn more about the proposal, make suggestions and submit a formal development application to the city. The city council would eventually consider the application and vote on it, but the planning commission would make recommendations.
The residential development could still happen without the city’s input because the land is owned and managed by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indis. City agreements with the tribe stipulate that land-use decisions can be appealed before the tribal council. This can overturn any city decisions.
The Oswit Land Trust is also looking to purchase the property and make it a nature preserve. This nonprofit is currently working on the Mesquite Golf Course. Oswit Land Trust purchased the Mesquite Golf Course last July.
This story was based on previous reporting by Paul Albani-Burgio, Desert Sun reporter.
