El Paseo, Palm Desert’s slowing dying shopping and restaurant district, has been looking for ways to save itself from a slow death for as long as we can remember – with plans ranging from a movie theater, taller buildings, professional offices, piano bars, and balloons! So far, none of the plans have seemed to catch fire with the public in Making El Paseo Great Again (#MEPGA), but now, news comes that city plans on spending nearly a million dollars on the street for changes to curbs and crosswalks – if only they can find a contractor willing to take their money.
Via the Desert Sun:
But first, the city must find a contractor for the estimated $950,000 in pedestrian improvements officials want to see done in time for the Oct. 27 Golf Cart Parade that draws hundreds to El Paseo.
The project was put out to bid in July and five contractors purchased bid packages, but on the Aug. 6 deadline no applications were received, Public Works Director Tom Garcia said.
When contacted by staff, contractors said they were busy with other jobs and concerned about meeting the tight schedule for the El Paseo project.
If the city can find someone willing to take on the project, the street will add new crosswalks, wheelchair ramps, and curb extensions at the intersections of El Paseo and Larkspur Lane and San Pablo Avenue. There will also be raised mid-block crosswalks with flashing signs at The Gardens and Mamma Gina’s restaurant on El Paseo and Hotel Paseo on Larkspur Lane.
The city says the new pedestrian features are being added to just one section of the street to see how they perform and, seeing as how Palm Desert drivers already can’t figure out the crosswalks on El Paseo, it should be interesting to see what happens…well, if anyone will actually take the job.
New sidewalks…Is that the reason the Palm Springs Mall didn’t make it??
The headline for this story should be “El PASEO PUTS LIPSTICK ON A PIG”
It needs a lot more lighting at night; it’s not really safe.
Tell the scumbag landlords to lower their rents and put some regular businesses in there and I might come by once in a while. Every store there just pushes overpriced garbage. There are some good restaurants but all the high end retail is not worth any of my money. El Paseo has sucked since day one and still sucks. Changing the sidewalks is wasting tax dollars for rich landlords who give no shit about anything from their LA homes. This is just putting more lipstick on the pig without real changes is exactly why it will suck forever. The Palm Desert Govt. is full of dipshits who obviously don’t know anything about marketing and balancing a business district.
The painted crosswalks mid street are confusing both to drivers and pedestrians. The flashing lights look
like a circus came to town and most of the time the walkers don’t know they are there and perhaps push
one but not the next one that is in the middle of the street. We could have used sufficient street lights as
people love wearing black, especially at night. I constantly see cars making a U turn where it says NO U turn. Some make it cleanly and others have to do a 15 point turn!! The visitors don’t know what to do/
The locals hate it. The store owners think it is hideous. It does not fit into the style El Paseo .
Some one HELP FIX IT