In 2020, plans were announced for “the largest open-barrel, human-made wave in the world,” produced by Kelly Slater Wave Co., to be implemented in the Coral Mountain area of La Quinta, one of nine cities in California’s Coachella Valley. The plans included an 18-million gallon wave basin, 600 homes, a 150-room hotel, as well as restaurants and a private club.
After two years of debate, and numerous revisions to the proposed plan, the city council of La Quinta has unanimously rejected the controversial project. Both negative effects to the nearby communities and irresponsible water usage in a time of serious drought were raised as concerns.
Artificial rendering of the proposed wave park. Photo: KESQ//YouTube Screenshot
The proposed revisions, which were brought before the city council last night, attempted to address those concerns. Regarding negative impacts to nearby communities, reductions to the height of nighttime light poles from 80 feet to 40 feet and reducing the height of buildings were all discussed. In terms of water concerns, the proposed 18.6-acre basin was reduced to 12 acres, which John Gamlin, president of Coral Mountain Wave Development says would reduce the water surface area by 50 percent. In addition, the development would match the current water district turf reduction rebate of $3 per square foot, which Gamlin says would offset the annual evaporation rate “by more than 100 percent in conservation in the community… It’s over $3 million (in) commitment,” he added.
Elsewhere, Gamlin has stated that the wave basin’s annual water use was estimated to be 26 million gallons, a far cry from what a golf course in the desert can use, which is as much as one-million gallons per day. To put things in context, Coachella Valley has over 120 golf courses, and four other proposed lagoons or surf parks are already approved or under construction in the area.
Desert mountains do provide an interesting backdrop to perfect barrels. Photo: Coral Mountain Wave Development
However, after hours of public comment that didn’t end until after midnight, the city council was unpersuaded to accept the changes, and denied the project. Surprisingly, the primary reasons cited for the denial were not water usage, but the impact to residents. “It’s a big concern of mine that the people who live in that community never expected a wave park to be built,” said council member Steve Sanchez. “We have never really anticipated having 600 short-term rentals out in an area that is basically residential,” agreed council member John Peña.
Photo: Coral Mountain Wave Development
