(Proposed Coral Mountain Site)
The Desert Sun’s Sherry Barkas reports that La Quinta could soon be home to a 20 acre, 18 million gallon wave basin, as part of a $200 million resort community being proposed near the Andalusia community.
Meriwether Cos, a recreational development firm that owns Ingleside Inn and Melvyn’s restaurant in Palm Springs, is partnering with Big Sky Wave Developments, founded and directed by Michael Schwab, to build Coral Mountain, a masterplan resort community on 400 acres of vacant land off of Madison Street. The development's wave basin will be capable of creating the largest, rideable open-barrel, human-made wave in the world using wave technology developed by Kelly Slater Wave Co., a division of the World Surfing League.
The land, located across from Andalusia on the west side of Madison Street between 58th Avenue and Avenue 60, had been part of the Andalusia development until last year when it was purchased by Meriwether and Big Sky Wave from Andalusia’s new owner, Sunrise Co. A 750-home community with 18-hole golf course was previously approved for the property. Meriwether and Big Sky’s new proposal keeps the property at the same density as previously approved by city planners but replaces the golf course with the wave basin and reduces the number of homes to 600 to accommodate a 150 room hotel. The hotel would have 20 to 30 rooms in buildings possibly two stories tall, with the remainder of the rooms in single-story casitas. In addition to the wave basin, the proposal also includes tennis and pickleball courts and other indoor and outdoor recreational amenities. All of the amenities would only be accessible to Coral Mountain hotel patrons, residents, club members and their guests. Merriwether plans to start construction in the first quarter of 2021 on the hotel and wave basin.
The wave technology developed by Kelly Slater Wave Co. combines cutting edge science, engineering and design to create the longest, open-barrel, high-performance waves in existence, mimicking the power, speed and experience found in the best ocean waves. The developers claim that the wave basin would use less water than an 18-hole golf course. Up to 25 people of varying skill levels could surf at a time, with five or so on the main wave.
Coral Mountain is one of a handful of proposed projects in the Coachella Valley that would include surf/wave facilities. In November, Palm Desert’s City Council approved a near-$200 million world-class surf resort at Desert Willow. The 14.6-acre resort is designed to include a 5.5-acre wave lagoon, open to the public, a hotel, residential villas and other amenities. Laguna Beach-based Pono Acquisition Partners LLC is renovating the existing attractions at the former Wet “n” Wild water park in Palm Springs to include a new wave pool. The new facility is being renamed “The Palm Springs Surf Club" and is expected to open later this year. The proposed Thermal Beach Club, to be developed on the 2,200-acre Kohl Ranch site on the eastern side of the Coachella Valley, will feature a 21-acre man-made lagoon. However, the project has met with opposition from nearby residents and is still making its way through the county approval process. The project is expected back before the county Planning Commission in April.
To read Sherry Barkas’ original article, courtesy of The Desert Sun, please visit: https://www.desertsun.com/picture-gallery/news/local/la-quinta/2020/02/26/look-proposed-coral-mountain-development-la-quinta/4884930002/
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