The Indio Fashion Mall – a place you haven’t been to in many, many years – probably will soon cease to exist as the owner of the Empire Polo Club is in escrow on the property with plans to most likely tear the place down.
Indio City Manager Mark Scott released some details on the purchase by Alexander Haagen in his monthly newsletter:
At City Hall we continue to be contacted on a regular basis by parties interested in business investment in Indio. We are highly encouraged by the news that the Alexander Haagen Company is purchasing the old Indio Fashion Mall, with intention to redevelop the site for retail, restaurant, entertainment and hopefully multi-family residential uses.
Hopefully?
Details about what, exactly, Haagen has planned for the property don’t appear to be known by the city yet, but, Indio Mayor Michael Wilson took a break from tweeting terrible things to discuss with KESQ how little he knows about what’s ahead:
“I would expect to see, after they close escrow and finalize the purchase, I would expect to see some rough renderings and elevations to show at least a concept,” said Michael Wilson, the mayor of Indio.
Wilson said he expects the plan is to tear down the majority, if not the entire mall, and build a mixture of retail, hotels and residential housing.
Of course, there is no pressure on the sale and project – well other than former Mayor Elaine Holmes saying the property “was going to have a mall area that is second to none in the State of California,” during her State of the City speech in October.
