Note: For more background on our specific concerns, see Our Concerns.
Why do we oppose the proposal for a Wonder Inn luxury resort?
Because we care about the health of this land, our quality of life, and our economic future, which rely on the preservation of the wild, wide-open, unique nature of Wonder Valley. This 106-room luxury resort would be completely out of scale and character with anything here and would set a precedent certain to start Wonder Valley down a road of irreversible damage to what makes it unique.
Wonder Valley is a rural desert area with a homesteading history and a low density of housing and residents, many of whom are retirees or others living on fixed incomes or who have moved here for health reasons, as well as a low-key but thriving artistic scene. The residents enjoy a quiet, rustic lifestyle and value the rare wide-open spaces, quiet environment, and dark night skies available here. These community values are clearly outlined in the Wonder Valley Community section of the 2020 Countywide Plan:
- Rural Atmosphere. The large lots and space between properties give residents room to breathe. Wide open spaces allow residents to appreciate and maintain the solitary, laid-back lifestyle of this area.
- Natural Desert Beauty. Residents value the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the dark and starry night skies and the desert views and wildlife.
- Community Spirit. Wonder Valley is a tight-knit community whose residents value self-reliance and neighborly support. The people have a respect for nature, freedom, privacy, and each other. Here, residents work together but also enjoy their independence and being left alone in solitude.
Together, it is these values that render Wonder Valley unique and represent our greatest asset, attracting visitors and tourist dollars and powering the local economy of low-key small business. Our economic future depends on the preservation of this most valuable asset.
However, the Wonder Inn Project would threaten that asset and our future by:
- impacting the quantity and quality of our irreplaceable water supply – 106 guest rooms, restaurant, pool, spa, and event facilities use a lot of water and produce a lot of sewage (plans include a new 180,000-gallon water tank)
- causing light pollution, degrading the darkness of our night sky – our starry sky is one of our most renowned and valuable assets
- increasing traffic and making our roads less safe (205 parking spaces proposed)
- increasing dust and air pollution
- causing noise pollution
- further stressing our underfunded and already inadequate local fire and law enforcement resources
- impacting the many unpaved roads, which are maintained by local taxpayers
- disrupting local wildlife corridors
- worsening the crisis in affordable housing with new staffing demands
Most importantly, the Wonder Inn Project and its proposed expansion of commercial zoning would also establish a “foot-in-the-door” precedent for additional inappropriate development, threatening further degradation to the quiet, peaceful desert environment that Wonder Valley residents, Morongo Basin residents, visitors and others currently cherish and enjoy. The Project as proposed would be unlike anything currently existing in Wonder Valley, and, as the Countywide Plan states:
We require that new development is located, scaled, buffered, and designed to minimize negative impacts on existing conforming uses and adjacent neighborhoods. (Policy LU-2.1 Compatibility with existing uses)
As outlined above, the Project would have many “negative impacts on existing conforming uses and adjacent neighborhoods.”
While the developers of the project have the right to submit their proposals and have it reviewed by Land Use Services, the Planning Commission, and the Board of Supervisors, it is our opinion for the reasons stated above that this project is highly inappropriate in the Wonder Valley area and further process in reviewing and potential approval of it should be terminated as soon as possible.