Mall Redevelopment Opportunity
Current Situation – Updated October 2025
The City of Palm Desert continues to work closely with Pacific Retail, the owner of The Shops at Palm Desert, as conversations about the property’s future redevelopment progress. The ownership team is preparing a site plan for the City’s review, which represents the next key step toward realizing a comprehensive vision for the mall’s next chapter.
The City remains eager to support this process and looks forward to working collaboratively to bring forward a plan that reflects our community’s goals for a vibrant, mixed-use destination. In the meantime, occupancy within the mall has continued to rise, signaling renewed energy and opportunity for the property.
City Strategy 2022-2023
The City explored options for redevelopment of the mall site in an effort to seek a well-financed and experienced developer to reimagine the site and minimize the City’s investment. This will result in the creation and adoption of a Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to prepare the site for development and remove development obstacles.
Please review the below sections, which detail the City's efforts during this strategic process.
The Vision
The City’s vision is to build a solid public-private partnership for the redevelopment of the mall that will result in a high-quality, sustainable tax-producing site that incorporates new development with a variety of uses (retail, hospitality, office, recreation, and housing) and establishes itself as an important iconic civic gathering place contributing to the existing character of the community.
The City is looking for a development partner that will invest heavily in long-term redevelopment. The City is committed to being an invaluable public partner through the public entitlement process.
Market Study
In order to better understand the redevelopment potential for the site, the City engaged Streetsense to assess market demand for residential, hospitality, and retail uses. See the attached Streetsense Study.
Brokers Forum
On June 30, 2022, the City of Palm Desert hosted a broker's forum to discuss potential redevelopment strategies. The City’s vision is to build a solid public-private partnership for the redevelopment of the mall that will result in a high-quality, sustainable tax-producing site that incorporates new development with a variety of uses (retail, hospitality, office, recreation, and housing) and establishes itself as an important civic gathering place contributing to the existing character of the community. A recording of the forum can be watched below.
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