Author Archives: Stop The Wonder Inn

WE WON! Wonder Inn appeal withdrawn! 

Wonder Valley, YOU WON!

The Wonder Inn Hotel/Resort proposal is dead in its present form.  The developers have informed the County that they are pulling their appeal, and the denial by the Planning Commission will stand.  The 106-room resort they proposed two years ago will not be built in Wonder Valley!

What does this mean going forward?  We are looking into this, and we will inform you on what we learn regarding future options and plans of the developers on the significant acreage they own in Wonder Valley.  In the meantime, we’re pleased to note improved communications with Land Use Services staff and we hope this bodes well for our community as future projects of concern are proposed.

But for now, let’s just celebrate!

Thank you Wonder Valley, thank you neighbors and allies throughout the desert and around the world, and thank you everyone who wrote letters, made phone calls, showed up to testify, and got out the word.  YOU DID IT!

With gratitude and celebration, the Stop Wonder Inn team salutes you. Let’s keep working together to keep our Wonder Valley wonderful!

UPDATE: Z107.7’s Heather Clisby wraps it up with a bow in “Wonder Inn” appeal withdrawn; plans for resort declared dead.

Big Win:  FH640 Killed by Board of Supervisors

You can fight city hall! 

Tuesday the Flamingo Heights 640 Glamping Project was defeated 3-2 by the Board of Supervisors in a hearing of the appeal brought by the developer.

Read a statement from the victors at Save Our Deserts here

We have been following this project carefully for what it might tell us about the process of the Wonder Inn appeal, and the hearing did not disappoint.  It was a great opportunity to observe how an appeal hearing is conducted, as well as providing clues as to how the various supervisors may view desert development projects.  We hope the outcome on Tuesday gives some basis for optimism in the Wonder Inn campaign.    

Chairwoman Dawn Rowe was aggressive in defending the interests of desert residents and made the motion to reject the appeal and thereby kill the project.  Supervisors Baca and Cook joined her in the majority vote.  Supervisor Hagman had first made a motion to accept the appeal but send the project back to the Planning Commission for unspecified modification, but Supervisor Rowe interceded with her substitute motion to deny the appeal, the motion which won the day.  Supervisors Hagman and Armendarez voted no.

There was a good turnout and many members of the public spoke in opposition to the project with passion and eloquence, both from the Joshua Tree live feed and in the County Chambers in San Bernardino.  Residents of the Flamingo Heights and Landers area have fought this project for three years and have been rewarded for their hard work and persistence.  Those of us from the east Basin who also spoke or have sent in letters were honored to support our neighbors and celebrate their victory.

Congratulations Flamingo Heights, Landers, and saveourdeserts.org!  FH640 is dead!

That’s one down!  

You can view the official video of the hearing here.  Agenda Item 1-15 begins at around 36 minutes.  The presentations and public comment wind up and the Supervisors begin their discussion at about the 3:46 mark.

Still No Hearing on Wonder Inn, but Flamingo Heights 640 Is Up at Bat!

Yes, it’s now been 8 months since the Wonder Inn project was denied by the County Planning Commission and subsequently appealed by the developer, and we still see no apparent movement towards a hearing before the Board of Supervisors.

What gives?

Well, we’ve been tracking this carefully, including working with Supervisor Rowe’s office, and in late October Mark Wardlaw, the new Director of Land Use Services, reached out to us.  We met with him and Planning Manager Aron Liang on Dec. 1 and shared our concerns about the project.  Mr. Wardlaw told us that the developers are considering their options, and he did confirm that there is as yet no projected date for a hearing. 

So while we’re all waiting, there’s one thing you can do, if you haven’t already:  You can send in a letter to the Board of Supervisors supporting the Planning Commission’s denial and expressing your opposition to the appeal.  And thanks to everyone who has already done so!

BUT – there has been an important development on another front:  The appeal of the Flamingo Heights 640 Glamping Proposal has finally been scheduled to be heard by the Board of Supervisors on Dec 19.  

FH640 has been an important bellwether for us.  You may remember that FH640 was heard by the Planning Commission just two weeks before the Wonder Inn proposal was heard.  You may remember that, like the Wonder Inn, it was also denied by the Commission, and that, like with WI, that decision was also appealed by the developer.  We are paying close attention to what happens with FH640, and we intend to attend that hearing on Dec. 19 and speak in opposition to that appeal.  

We urge you also to consider supporting our neighbors in Flamingo Heights by sending in a letter opposing that appeal or, even better, showing up at that hearing on Dec. 19.  Numbers will matter

The folks in Flamingo Heights, faced with a massive, exploitative, and inappropriate project on a scale similar to the Wonder Inn, have shown up to support us in the past.  It’s our turn now.  We need to stand together and send the message to San Bernardino that the desert is not open for exploitation! 

Find all the information on the FH640 issue and the hearing here.  If San Bernardino is too far, you can also be heard at the Bob Burke Government Center on Whitefeather Road.  Tuesday December 19, 10 a.m.

Hope to see you there!

And by the way: You can track major development projects in the Basin, including the Wonder Inn, at Save Our Deserts.  

Round 2:  Summer’s ending, where’s the appeal?

Summer is ending, and the Wonder Inn appeal still has not been heard by the County Supervisors. The County had 30 days to schedule a hearing after the appeal was filed on April 3; it’s now been more than five months.  What gives?  Have they forgotten?  Have the developers walked away from the project?

The answer is no, and no.  We know the appeal is still active.  More likely they want us, the community, to forget.  To get lazy, stop paying attention, stop caring.  But that ain’t gonna happen!  This is not over, and the people of Wonder Valley are ready and waiting for Round 2.   

A quick and easy way to make sure the County knows we are NOT forgetting is to send in your letter!  If you’ve already sent your letter for this round, thank you!  We’ve had a good response, but we’re not near the 372 comment letters we reached last March for Round 1 with the Planning Commission – a number that made a real impression on the County.  Let’s see if we can match it!  Find out how to send your letter right here.  

Just as important:  Let’s all be prepared to show up at the hearing when it does happen!  The Supervisors meet on Tuesday mornings and the next possible dates are Sept 26, Oct 3, and Oct 24. So leave space on your calendar, and you know we’ll keep you posted.

Special request:  Do you live in or have concerned acquaintances in the Second or Fifth County Districts?  (Find your district here.)  We could use some help getting the ear of Supervisors Baca and ArmendarezContact us if you want to help.  

Quick update:  You may remember how our neighbors in Flamingo Heights showed up at the Wonder Inn hearing in March to support us.  The Flamingo Heights 640 Glamping Project has also been appealed to the Supervisors by the developers.  Like us, that community has been waiting over five months for a hearing date.  They recently had a FH640 Glamping Taskforce Town Hall, and you can read a summary of that meeting on saveourdeserts.org.

Still No Appeal Hearing Date Set

We still have no date for the hearing of the Appeal of the Wonder Inn proposal.  The August 8 Agenda for the Board of Supervisors does not include the Wonder Inn.  It is now four months since the Planning Commission recommended denial of the Project and the developers filed an appeal (April 3).  The next possible date is August 22, so keep it clear on your calendar, and if you haven’t already sent in your letter to the Supervisors, what are you waiting for?  It’s easy and flexible and you can do it indoors, where it’s cool!  Invite your friends and make it a party! 🙂 

Let’s Get Going!

It’s time for action!  We’re still waiting on the appeal hearing, but there’s something you can do right now to make a difference:  Write the Board of Supervisors and ask them to reject the appeal and deny the Wonder Inn!

To recap:  The Planning Commission rejected the Wonder Inn proposal in March after a hearing at which many community members spoke. The developers appealed that decision to the Board of Supervisors. They will have a hearing possibly as early as July 25, at which time the Board may deny the appeal (yay!) or could instead bypass the Planning Commission’s recommendation and approve the Project (boo!). 

Our job now is to convince the Supervisors to reject the developers’ appeal and to deny the Wonder Inn proposal once and for all. 

Our first step?  Write to the Board and ask them to reject the appeal and deny the Wonder Inn.  

We’ve once again put together a letter you can easily send in as-is with a click, or you can add language of your own in the Additional Comments box.  Go here to send it in. 

If instead you prefer to write your own letter, you can find out where to send it on that same page.  

Want to get more substantive in your letter?  Read why the Planning Commission denied the Project here and here.

Next step:  Prepare for the hearing!  We’ll need everyone there!  We’re still waiting to learn the date but it’s likely to be this summer, maybe as soon as Tuesday, July 25.  As soon as we know, YOU will know.  Watch the website, social media, and your email.  

But in the meantime, send in that letter and be heard!  NO AGAIN to the Wonder Inn!

Finding #2:  Insufficient Supporting Infrastructure

As you probably know, the County Planning Commission denied the Wonder Inn proposal on March 23, and the developers have appealed that decision to the Board of Supervisors.  While we’re waiting for the appeal to be heard (no date scheduled yet), let’s look again at why the Planning Commission rejected the Wonder Inn. 

We already explored their first finding, regarding land use.  Now we’ll dig in to Finding #2, as stated in the Appeal:  “[T]here is not sufficient supporting infrastructure, existing or available, consistent with the intensity of the development to accommodate the proposed project without significantly lowering service levels of the area.”

The Planning Commission is supported in this finding by the County’s own Land Use policies.  The Countywide Policy Plan Land Use Element states as Principle: “New development should be focused in areas where there is potable water, wastewater treatment, roadways, and public services.”  When the Commission referred to “supporting infrastructure,” it is these resources – potable water, wastewater treatment, roadways, and public services – they are talking about. 

On all of these counts, any Wonder Valley resident knows we are already underserved.  Adding the demands of a 106-room luxury hotel resort clearly would add a burden that local services are in no way equipped to support.  Again, the Commission stated this straight out:  “[T]here is not sufficient supporting infrastructure, existing or available, consistent with the intensity of the development to accommodate the proposed project without significantly lowering service levels of the area.”

Let’s start with a look at our roadways.  Wonder Valley has 43 miles of paved road, and the remaining 130 miles – the miles that most residents live on and depend on – are dirt.  These roads are maintained by an assessment on property owners in Wonder Valley at approximately $50 per parcel annually.  They are rough and sandy roads that need constant maintenance and are easily degraded by excess or careless traffic as well as weather.  It is to be expected that guests of the Wonder Inn will use these roads, whether heading to the National Park via Gammel Road, or simply exploring. The developer’s Appeal documentation ignores impacts to Wonder Valley’s network of fragile but critical roadways. 

Regarding water and wastewater treatment, we’re going to look at this crucial topic in more detail in another post, but in brief:  Wonder Valley does not have distributed water infrastructure. Our water source is domestic wells or hauled water.  We also do not have potable water. The water from our aquifer is highly mineralized and was considered “contaminated” by the fire department when they closed our fire station.  Wonder Valley does not have wastewater treatment facilities or sewer systems. We have individual septic systems with leach fields.  A few people still have outhouses. Clearly, Wonder Valley does not have sufficient water or wastewater “supporting infrastructure” to serve a luxury hotel resort.  (You can learn more about our concerns with water here.)  

Finally, let’s talk about public services – Fire, Emergency Response, Law Enforcement, etc. 

Bottom line:  We already do not have adequate Fire/Emergency Medical Services for our community. The controversial closing of our fire station in 2017 increased our emergency response times to dangerous lengths.  The distances in our 147-square-mile community were already a challenge.  With the closing of Station 45, emergency response services now come all the way from Twentynine Palms, increasing response times by an average of an additional 10 minutes.  This is not sufficient for saving lives or homes.  To illustrate this point:

  • A home fire doubles in size every minute. A cooking fire can completely engulf a home in 5 minutes. Wonder Valley has inadequate fire response times, which means in the event of a home fire in Wonder Valley, total loss of the home is highly likely.
  • In the past 5 years, between January 2017 and January 2023, there have been over 33 structure fires in Wonder Valley that resulted in the total loss of property, with some families being left homeless. Sadly, some residents of Wonder Valley refer to the fire department as the “Slab Savers.”
  • In the event of choking, drowning, or a heart attack, permanent brain damage begins after 4-5 minutes without oxygen. The current Emergency Medical Response times for Wonder Valley residents are already inadequate to save lives in the event of a life-threatening medical emergency. 

On top of this dire situation, the proposed Wonder Inn would add the burden of an estimated 160 daily guests, 40 visitors and 20 staff (and there’s basis to believe this is an undercount).  That’s an additional 220 people added to our existing population of 1019, increasing demand for already stressed public services in our area by roughly 21%.

So what does the developer’s Appeal documentation have to say in response to the Planning Commission’s finding on infrastructure services?  They try to pass the buck to the County:  “It is the County’s responsibility to determine and plan for adequate service levels for its residents, according to General Plan Policy Safety Element S.3.1.”  [emphasis added]

It seems to us that the County met this responsibility squarely when the Planning Commission rejected the Wonder Inn project, determining that there was not sufficient infrastructure to support development like this project. And that should be the end to it: The County is planning for adequate service levels for its residents by putting a limit on unreasonable demand.   

But the developers seem to have missed that point.  This appears to be their formula:  Their role is solely to provide revenue in the form of required taxes and fees.  The County will receive that revenue, magically the agencies will have everything they need to provide adequate levels of services to a community that currently does not receive them, plus the added burden of a luxury hotel-resort, and everyone will be happy.  They finish with a grand flourish: “Therefore, there would be adequate fire/paramedic services, and the Fire Department would have the financial means to maintain services.”  

Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn’t it?  

The Appeal attempts to bolster the formula with, among other statements, this quote from a SBCo Fire Department official: “The Fire Department has also increased staffing at the Twentynine Palms station intermittently based on available personnel and funding.” [emphasis added]

The devil’s in that bolded portion, isn’t it?  With all due respect, and whatever the intentions and efforts of these agencies, the experience of the community is that there is NOT currently an adequate level of service from either Fire or Sheriff, and that “available personnel and funding” never seems to be nearly enough. Wonder Valley property owners are sorely aware that in 2018 they received a tax increase from $35 to $157 (an increase of nearly five-fold) to cover fire services to Wonder Valley, then the next year the Wonder Valley Fire Station nevertheless was permanently closed for budget reasons, resulting in the Wonder Valley community paying substantially more for even less adequate services.  

Let’s look at this question of revenue.  Would the Wonder Inn contribute enough to cover its own impacts and demands, as well as not lower the level of services already provided in the community?  The Appeal documentation claims, “The Project would contribute Developer Impact Fees as well as Property Tax and Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue” to assist the agencies with increasing service “if needed.”  

Does that actually add up?  County hospitality facilities pay a TOT currently of 7%.  But the TOT goes into the County General Fund, not to the local community.  A one-time impact fee (amount unknown) is unlikely to be enough to sustain services over the long haul.  As far as property taxes, the fire department receives only 2.5% of the property taxes collected from the 4,634 property owners of Wonder Valley, and our services are already grossly inadequate at current funding levels.  

Without actual numbers we can’t state definitively that the Wonder Inn could not generate sufficient tax revenue to cover the extra burden they would create.  But color us very unconvinced.  Very unconvinced.  

In sum, in an underserved rural community, this proposed luxury resort, which would be the largest hotel in the Morongo Basin, would add little while further drawing down the already insufficient Public Services responsible for covering our vast undeveloped CSA 70-M service area. We must agree with the finding of the Planning Commission:  “[T]here is not sufficient supporting infrastructure, existing or available, consistent with the intensity of the development to accommodate the proposed project without significantly lowering service levels of the area.”  

Finding #1: An Unreasonable and Illogical Extension

Hello again neighbors!  We’ve all been taking a breather since the Planning Commission on March 23 unanimously denied the Wonder Inn Project.  But the Project is back, and so are we!

As expected, the Wonder Inn developers have appealed the Planning Commission decision. They will have a hearing before the Board of Supervisors probably on July 11, but possibly as early as June 27.  Be sure to watch this space for updates, and if you’re not on our mailing list you can sign up in the sidebar.  We will soon be posting another auto letter to help you get comments to the Supervisors and other information about how to be heard.  It will take all of us to defeat the Wonder Inn again!

But right now, let’s look closer at the Planning Commission’s decision, and on what grounds the developers are appealing.  

The Planning Commission denied the Project for essentially two reasons.  The first of these is stated as follows in the Appeal“Finding 1: proposed policy plan and zoning amendments do not provide a reasonable and logical extension of the existing land use pattern in the surrounding area.”

Let’s talk about “land use” as it applies to the Wonder Inn proposal.  “Land use” in unincorporated areas such as Wonder Valley is governed by the San Bernardino Countywide Plan. Critically – and the Planning Commission appears to have agreed – the proposed Wonder Inn Project’s use of land is not in accord with the Principles and requirements of the Countywide Plan, including in the Wonder Valley Community Action Guide.

For example, the Countywide Policy Plan Land Use Element states as Principle: “New development should be focused in areas where there is potable water, wastewater treatment, roadways, and public services.”  The Wonder Inn luxury resort would, of course, be “new development.”  Wonder Valley, in its entirety, has no potable water, no septic systems, no wastewater treatment, mostly dirt and insufficient roadways, and grossly inadequate public services.  Clearly, the Wonder Inn proposal is not consistent with this Land Use Element Principle.

The Countywide Plan further states in Goal LU-4.5: “We require that new development be consistent with and reinforce the physical and historical character and identity of our unincorporated communities, as described in Table LU‐3 and in the values section of Community Action Guides. In addition, we consider the aspirations section of Community Action Guides in our review of new development.”

The proposed project ignores these guidelines and requirements entirely, including the Wonder Valley Community Action Guide, as the project would only degrade the rural atmosphere and the natural desert beauty, diminish the starry night skies and desert views, and take away much of the respect for solitude, privacy, and community values. The Wonder Inn is not a small business that would serve the local community, and it is not compatible with our natural environment.  So the proposed Wonder Inn does not meet the requirements of Policy LU-4.5, the referenced Table LU-3, and the Wonder Valley Community Action Guide, either.

County Plan Policy LU-2.3 requires that “new development is located, scaled, buffered, and  designed for compatibility with the surrounding natural environment and biodiversity.”  In fact, the proposed Project is HUGE in comparison with the surroundings, with sheer number and size of proposed additional structures NOT fitting with the surroundings, and it definitely is NOT “located, scaled, buffered, and designed for compatibility with the surrounding natural environment and biodiversity” as required.

So in making their decision, the Planning Commission considered the land use pattern that currently exists in Wonder Valley surrounding the Project site, and found the proposal would not be consistent with it as required by the County’s land use policy plans.    

The developers disagree with this Finding.  On what grounds?  They list several.  To be honest, their reasons don’t seem to have much to them.  They don’t address the foundational issues with County policy as we just laid out. In the final comments that we’ll be submitting to Land Use Services we’ll be addressing their claims in full.  But here’s a word on just a couple of points. 

The Appeal states: 

There are at least 110 homes used as vacation rentals within a 5-minute drive of the Project Site (refer to Figure 2 – Vacation Rental Homes Near Project Site). Therefore, there ample residences being used as businesses throughout the residential areas of Wonder Valley.

Residents have differing opinions about the role of short-term rentals (STR’s) in the Wonder Valley community, but STR’s are considered small businesses and do fit the requirements of the Countywide Plan Elements LU-4.5 and Table LU-3, above. As well, the proposed Wonder Inn DOES NOT meet the zoning requirements, whereas STR’s do.

Another point from the Appeal:

The applicant owns 134 acres adjacent to the developed area, therefore providing a significant buffer between the RL-5 and the development (refer to Figure 5 – Applicant Ownership). There are no plans for development of those parcels at this time. 

This appears to be a nod to County Plan Policy LU-2.3, referenced above, which requires that new development be “buffered.”   But what stands out for us here is the statement that the applicants own adjacent acreage they have no plans to develop on at this time. As per California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Piecemealing requirements, if the developer EVER considers developing on adjacent properties they should do the required impact reports and be transparent about possible future development to the County.  Notoriously, early marketing of luxury villas on those 134 adjacent acres was discovered last February.  But in their public communications with the County, their denials of such plans usually include a  qualifier such as “at this time” – a dodge that does not clear them from the requirements of CEQA. 

Finally, just a quick note on zoning.  The Project would involve creating 28 acres of Service Commercial (CS) zoning, rationalized as an expansion of a conjectured 3.18 acres of CS zoning at the pink building  Per the Appeal:  

The CS Zoning designation, irrespective of if it is a “zoning anomaly” has existed for three decades, therefore establishing a reasonable expectation of land uses that are applicable to the CS Zone as allowed by County Code.

There is no substantive evidence of the size of the CS zoned area or that this property still maintains, or ever has maintained, a CS designation.  In the Appeal the applicants themselves can state nothing more definitive than that this 3.18-acre area was “likely designated as CS.”  In the Planning Commission hearing, both the applicants’ representatives and County Staff admitted the origins of CS zoning were “just a guess”.  We will be pushing back on this issue in detail when we submit our full comments to County Land Use Services. 

Again, you can find the quoted Appeal Supplemental Documentation here, and the accompanying figures as follows:  Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5

On another day we’ll take a look at Finding 2 from the Planning Commission, the one regarding infrastructure, and the developers’ disagreements with that Finding in the Appeal.