re: Front-page story in this morning's Palm Desert Sun

Palm Desert (Calif.) planning commissioners determined on Tuesday that an expansion of an already palatial complex in the foothills of Bighorn Country Club wouldn't affect residents of Ironwood Country Club. A staff report recommended commissioners vote against the project, but they rejected that with a 4-0 vote. Duane B. Hagadone won approval in 2004 to build a 32,016-square-foot home on a 38,000-foot pad but has since sought approval to increase the pad to about 61,000 square feet. According to a staff report, workers have already graded the land without getting city approval. In addition, Hagadone's engineer submitted plans for a swimming pool that was outside the previously approved grading area, the staff report said. Ironwood residents left the council chamber before the commission voted but shouted their displeasure in the process.

Colin Atagi/Palm Desert Sun.

Palm Desert Berry Picker: As you can see, Hagadone had the land improperly graded; then he had plans developed for the improperly graded area. When I spoke to a friend of mine who works at City Hall and asked why the City of Palm Desert rewarded Hagadone’s improper activities by letting him go ahead and build a blight on the face of our mountains, this source replied, The real story is in the Environmental Impact Report Hagadone submitted at the outset years ago; that report made up an entire mountain so that the conclusion would be that the house had no impact.

DFO: Welcome to our world, Palm Desert.

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