Grit Development, formerly Wessman development (with a recent name change, because, well, yeah), has informed the city of Palm Springs that the expected opening for its planned Virgin Hotel in downtown will not take place as planned in 2022 and now the company expects it to be open in 2025 and, really, who knows if it is even going to happen at all at this point.
The company told KESQ that they had to move things back because of lawsuits they anticipate regarding the company allegedly not paying a prevailing wage to workers who built the scandal plagued Rowan Hotel and surrounding shops.
A letter dated Oct. 26, from the developer’s attorney to Palm Springs City Manager David Ready stated “both our capital partners and our lender for the Virgin have suspended the completion of financing until these uncertainties and their impact on Grit can be accurately assessed.”
On Wednesday Grit is expected to go before the Palm Springs city council to ask for a 3 year extension to the Virgin Hotel project on Museum Way and Bellardo Road.
The 6 story, 142 room hotel was expected to open in 2022. It was approved 3-2 by the city council in 2017.
Will the city approve such a request? Well, they seem to approve anything that Wessman, errr I mean Grit Development wants, so sure, 2025 it will surely be.
Of course, a lot can happen in that downtime…remember those plans for the huge Hard Rock Hotel and the Mondrian that never panned out? One recession and *poof* a lot plans go right down the drain.
But hey, while Wessman…dangit, let’s try this again….But hey, while Grit might not be bringing a Virgin Hotel to downtown Palm Springs, they did bring those hideous babies.
So you have that going for you, Palm Springs.
