Will Ivy Palm Motel Become Affordable Housing?

Residents welcome to attend Sept. 21 virtual meeting regarding conversion of Ivy Palm Motel into affordable housing units

PALM SPRINGS — A once-popular 100-room motel located in Little Tuscany is now being considered for affordable housing in this community.

Ivy Palm Resort is within a 5-minute drive of San Jacinto Mountains and Palm Springs Convention Center. This motel is 3.3 mi from Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium and 3.5 mi from Palm Springs Air Museum.

The city of Palm Springs welcomes residents to participate in an online informational meeting regarding a plan to convert the Ivy Palm Motel into affordable housing. The Riverside County Department of Housing, Homelessness Prevention and Workforce Solutions is holding the meeting.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21 via Zoom. Click the link here. Meeting ID: 95631321708, Passcode: 92504.

The county’s plan would convert the motel, located at 2000 N. Palm Canyon Drive, into 80 permanent affordable housing units. In addition, workforce development services would be provided as part of the project plan.

The opportunity to develop the Ivy Palm Motel into affordable housing emerged from COVID-19 relief funds. Under California’s Homekey Grant program, $550 million is available through state allocation of federal relief funds. The city of Palm Springs has also committed $3 million of a $10 million state of California homelessness grant awarded earlier this year.

Public agencies are allowed to apply for Homekey grants to transform motels, hotels and buildings into affordable, long-term housing. The state of California requires that funds be spent by Dec. 30, 2020.