2021-03-09 PlazaTuesday, March 9, 2021 at 12:48:07 Pacific Standard Time
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Subject:La Quinta Surf Park Resort
Date:Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 12:40:11 PM Pacific Standard Time
From:Peter Plaza
To:consulCngplanner@laquintaca.gov, Peter Plaza, Maria Plaza
Hello,
My name is Pete Plaza and I’m a homeowner in Trilogy at La Quinta.
My unbiased comments below come from 40 years of experience in the development and
construcCon industry. I trust many of my comments are being considered by City officials, planners,
developer and EIR responses, and are not in any order, priority or choosing sides as to what/who is
right and wrong. Typically, when a project has goUen to this point the dice have been rolled and the
game moves forward regardless of what the opposiCon has to say. It seems that the City has made the
decision that there are NO ALTERNATE LOCATIONS for the Surf Park Development in La Quinta or for
that maUer, the enCre Coachella Valley? One would wonder why all the open acreage that is visible
throughout the Coachella Valley is not an alternate consideraCon, especially along Interstate 10, where
the property is already zone for this type of development, and more importantly, no major issues with
the EIR Report, certainly to a lesser degree…..NO, the City of La Quinta chooses to put this
development right in the middle of mulC-million dollar homes and in proximity to some of the most
beauCful golf courses in the naCon. I and others in the surrounding communiCes are at a total loss as
to why this locaCon has been chosen and no other locaCons are acceptable? As stated earlier, the train
has le^ the staCon and picking up speed. Can the residents surrounding this development stop this
project…absolutely! Below are my construcCon “gotcha” impacts that everyone will experience,
should the project move forward. These “gotcha’s” must be a topic of discussion at future meeCngs
and address EIR comments:
CONSTRUCTION
1. Tranquility in the community……not for 10 years! ConstrucCng a major development of 377
acres is no easy task, nor does is it come without impacts to the surrounding community. There
will be lots of heavy construcCon equipment, dirt trucks with tandem (pups), cranes, bulldozers,
supply trucks, tradesman vehicles, and the list goes on and on. This constant and increased flow
of vehicle traffic on our roadways will cause noise, diesel fumes, disrupCon to local traffic,
increase in potenCal accidents/injuries, airborne dust, polluCon, smog, loud-speaker noise from
construcCon acCviCes (safety meeCngs), and overall general construcCon noise. This will be the
“NEW NORMAL” for our local communiCes many years to come.
2. It’s important to point-out that one of the biggest nemesis for any construcCon project is DUST,
especially so when a large parcel of land is being cleared, grubbed, and excavated. Due to the
prevailing winds our communiCes experience in a westerly to easterly direcCon, DUST will be
driven towards Trilogy at La Quinta and Andalusia. This is always a daunCng task for the
construcCon crews, and in the case of the Surf Resort Development, it will not be an excepCon.
Yes, the developer will use water trucks to wet-down the dry-soil surface, but they will not have
enough water trucks to cover 377 acres in a short period of Cme, nor can they cover 100% of
the development due to inaccessibility. There is no-doubt wind driven dust will occur during
construcCon and considering the development will be done in “phases”, this problem will be
permanent throughout the enCre 10-year duraCon.
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3. The first impact the community will experience are the tandem dirt trucks. There are 377 acres
in the development. Assuming an average 1-foot cut of organic soil exported off-site (some
topsoil will be reused) and 2-foot of engineered fill imported on-site, and the site is a balanced
cut and fill calculaCon. Assume an average dump truck carries 14 cubic yards of dirt and (30
cubic yards with a tandem carrier).
a. 377 acres x 43,560 sf. x 3.0 ^. / 30 cubic yards per tandem dump truck = That’s
approximately 1,650,000 tandem trucks on our local roadways, spanned over 10 years:
165,000 tandem truck each year, or 13,750 tandem dump trucks each month!
4. It’s important to ask, “what is the truck route for these trucks? Who is buying the dirt? What is
the desCnaCon of that dumpsite? Is the truck route on Jefferson, or 58th Street to Madison?
5. Tandem trucks drop residual dirt, stones, and rocks from the rear of the truck. The developer’s
soluCon to this is using road sweepers. Truck hauling operaCon will begin early morning. The
road sweepers will be hard at work starCng at 6:30AM and clean Jefferson and/or 58th Street.
Like any dirt hauling operaCon, it’s not perfect, so residual dirt and gravel will remain on the
roadways leaving an obvious patch of travel in its wake.
6. Road damage will occur from the quanCty and weight of the dirt trucks over the 10 years. This
will require major repairs to the roadways. The damage will not be conCnuous, so repairs will be
done by “patching” segments of the roadway resulCng in changing the aestheCc appearance of
a conCnuous and smooth asphalt road to mulCple patches (change in color) and the possibility
of the asphalt cracking, breaking apart and causing “potholes”. The City will be le^ with
patching the potholes with cold-asphalt patch which is only a temporary soluCon. Over-Cme,
vehicle will loosen-up the cold-asphalt patch, causing another pothole and the process repeats
itself. This is a classic repair process due to city budget constraints. BoUomline, our roadways
will never look the same. A typical soluCon to counter-act this issue is requiring the developer
to put a Roadway Bond in place, should the City need the funds to repair the roadways in the
future.
7. MulCple uClity connecCons will be required for this development, requiring roadways to be
closed at Jefferson, 58th Street and 60th Street and local traffic re-routed to Monroe Street.
Again, curng-up the exisCng asphalt roadways will be required and patched. The City must
include “enCtlements” in the agreement with the developer to remove the exisCng asphalt
roadways, by scarifying the top layer of the roadways and installing a “new” paved surface. This
needs to be applied to all the roadways affected on Jefferson, 58th Street, 60th Street and
Monroe.
8. Parking for all construcCon vehicles must be maintained on the development site and not
outside the construcCon fence line.
9. Will the developer “guarantee” and be fully liable for any impact to the aquifer water supply
and/or disrupCons to the water supply serving residents? If not, there should be!
SURF RESORT DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION
1. Many of the operaConal issues have been brought to the table that need to be address in the
EIR and forth-coming meeCng. Consider this: Let’s look down at this development from 5,000
feet, gerng the full perspecCve of what the community will look like and experience once an
event is in full operaCon:
a. All the roadways converging to this parcel of land, surrounded by beauCful, serene
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residenCal communiCes and golf courses will be backed-up with cars coming from
Interstate 10, Highway 111, Jefferson Street, Madison Street, Monroe Street, 58th Street,
60th Street and alternate roads snaking through and avoiding the traffic jam. There will
police vehicles and flashing light everywhere, aUempCng to control traffic with barricades
and traffic policeman. Any local resident that needs to do normal shopping along the
Highway 111 corridor may find it easy to leave their communiCes but will face the wrath
of traffic jams on every available artery roadway coming back home. IT WILL TAKE YOU
HOURS TO RETURN! The community residents will have no other choice but to stay at
home unCl all the event spectators have entered the Surf Resort parking area. Of course,
the reverse will occur once the event is finished.
b. The EIR refers to off-site parking and a shuUle service will be transporCng spectators to
and from the parking lot to the event. What happened to the developers plan to provide
all the necessary parking stalls for the permanent residents, temporary residents, hotel
guests, event staff, surfing professionals/parCcipants, security personnel, NBC media
personnel, etc., etc., etc.? OH! BY THE WAY, WHERE IS THIS PARKING LOT LOCATED?
c. All the local shopping centers will be consumed by event spectators, making shopping a
very unpleasant experience.
d. Alcohol will be consumed at tremendous quanCCes, thus creaCng other problems: drunk
and disorderly individuals, fighCng and aUacks to individuals, traffic accidents, injuries
because of alcohol, late night parCes, loudspeaker music, shouCng, screaming and police
and ambulance sirens responding to these occurrences. As far as the residents are
concerned, we will be facing the full effect of this development every Cme there’s an
event well into the future.
e. Re-Zoning for this development will create a “slippery slope” for allowing other
developments in the area. So, it’s OK to allow the City of La Quinta to surround Trilogy at
La Quinta with commercial developments? I don’t think so! My wife and I were planning
to reCre in Trilogy at La Quinta the rest of our lives. This development may change that if
approved.
PROPERTY APPRECIATION
1. There has been a lot of discussions concerning the impact the Surf Resort Development will
have on the home values in the surrounding communiCes. I for one, don’t believe home prices
will increase soon, certainly unCl the development is complete and what the full affect this
facility will have on the sale of homes during “disclosure”. PotenCal buyers looking at Trilogy at
La Quinta and Andalusia are +55 seniors are looking for a quiet neighborhood to reCre. They will
not buy a home that puts them in the same high-congesCon environment they came from. The
potenCal buyers will know that this facility is under construcCon (if approved), and what it
brings to the local communiCes when it’s fully operaConal. Will this resort force potenCal
buyers to look elsewhere? If I was looking to buy in Trilogy at La Quinta, I would have seriously
considered this Surf Resort as a negaCve and looked elsewhere.
2. If there will be property appreciaCon, when will it happen? How much, and at what price do we
pay for this appreciaCon? Is it worth it?
CONCLUSION
I ask again, why has the City of La Quinta approved this development in our neighborhood when there
are many other locaCons, such as Interstate 10, to consider that are zoned for this type of
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development, environmental affects are minimal, and will give the developer improved visibility and
markeCng aUracCon? It’s beyond my comprehension why this isn’t the case.
RelocaCng this facility gives the residents peace-of-mind and develops trust in those City officials we
elected, to make sure the City of La Quinta maintains the highest standard of living and that a balance
of community is always maintained.
Thank you.
Peter W. Plaza
Trilogy at La Quinta Resident
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