Council weighs bringing privately maintained medians and parkways into city LLDs
December 12, 2025 | Palm Desert, Riverside County, California
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Public Works Manager Chris Gary briefed the Palm Desert City Council on whether certain privately maintained medians and parkways should be evaluated for inclusion in the city-managed Landscape and Lighting District (LLD) program.
Gary explained the basics of an LLD: a state-authorized financing and management tool (subject to Proposition 218 validation) that allows the city to maintain public-right-of-way landscaping and recover costs via annual property tax assessments. Palm Desert's consolidated LLD currently contains 33 benefit zones; it does not cover nine privately maintained medians or a set of parkways maintained by small, legacy HOAs.
Quantities and examples: The medians account for roughly 250,000 square feet across the city (one large segment was reported at about 66,000 sq ft). The identified parkways under consideration represent about 68,000 sq ft and include multiple small HOAs (for example, Kingston Court with ~64 households and 11,000 sq ft of parkway). Staff noted Corte Placitas is one HOA that has already inquired about converting to an LLD.
Council concerns and staff answers: Council members asked whether LLD assessments typically pay for themselves (staff said most have been self-sustaining), how initial rehabilitation costs would be apportioned to property owners, and whether HOAs would reduce internal fees if the city assumed maintenance. Staff explained assessments would be calculated and presented during the Proposition 218 validation process and that outreach would be needed; they also cautioned that prevailing-wage and rehabilitation costs could make initial assessments larger and reduce interest.
What happens next: Staff requested council input on whether to proceed with a detailed evaluation; if council directs staff to proceed, next steps would include HOA/property-owner outreach, coordination with the city attorney on potential maintenance-transition approaches, and detailed cost evaluation with assessment consultants.
Gary explained the basics of an LLD: a state-authorized financing and management tool (subject to Proposition 218 validation) that allows the city to maintain public-right-of-way landscaping and recover costs via annual property tax assessments. Palm Desert's consolidated LLD currently contains 33 benefit zones; it does not cover nine privately maintained medians or a set of parkways maintained by small, legacy HOAs.
Quantities and examples: The medians account for roughly 250,000 square feet across the city (one large segment was reported at about 66,000 sq ft). The identified parkways under consideration represent about 68,000 sq ft and include multiple small HOAs (for example, Kingston Court with ~64 households and 11,000 sq ft of parkway). Staff noted Corte Placitas is one HOA that has already inquired about converting to an LLD.
Council concerns and staff answers: Council members asked whether LLD assessments typically pay for themselves (staff said most have been self-sustaining), how initial rehabilitation costs would be apportioned to property owners, and whether HOAs would reduce internal fees if the city assumed maintenance. Staff explained assessments would be calculated and presented during the Proposition 218 validation process and that outreach would be needed; they also cautioned that prevailing-wage and rehabilitation costs could make initial assessments larger and reduce interest.
What happens next: Staff requested council input on whether to proceed with a detailed evaluation; if council directs staff to proceed, next steps would include HOA/property-owner outreach, coordination with the city attorney on potential maintenance-transition approaches, and detailed cost evaluation with assessment consultants.
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