Palm Desert, CA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Section 25.20.010 sets the tone for Chapter 25.20, Downtown Districts Design Guidelines, in the City of Palm Desert: the guidelines provide direction for the design of buildings, appurtenances and site elements, and the materials, methods, and forms are recommended. Alternative forms can be permitted when approved in writing by the Director, based on a finding that they conform to the design intent of the Code or are otherwise required by law. The chapter works alongside Chapter 25.18, which regulates development within the 111 Corridor Plan area and, in § 25.18.030, describes the Downtown (D) zone as buildings up to 3 stories tall and the Downtown Core Overlay (D-O) as up to 4 stories, with height increased by 1 story if public improvements are implemented per the 111 Corridor Implementation Manual.

Building articulation under § 25.20.020 offers four techniques: horizontal articulation, vertical articulation, architectural projections and architectural recessions. Block-form buildings are 1 to 5 stories tall and attached or attachable to neighbors with no intervening side yard or setback. The success of the articulation proposed for any building is reviewed by the Architectural Review Commission against its immediate context and the intent of the zone.

Frontages are covered by § 25.20.030. All new buildings, renovations that comprise 50% of the existing structure, and additions that face the street should incorporate at least one frontage type allowed in that zone, and all buildings should provide at least 1 street-facing primary pedestrian entry and street-facing windows on all floors. Under § 25.20.031, shopfront awnings or canopies can encroach into the public right-of-way over the sidewalk, extending to within 2 feet of the face of curb.

Architectural elements in § 25.20.040 include bay windows with a maximum width of 8 feet, a height equal to or greater than their width, a minimum of 3 feet from any building corner or other bay, and at least 50% transparent fenestration on the street-facing facade. Natural materials such as smooth plaster, stone, brick, tile, metal, wood and glass are preferred. Front yards under § 25.20.051 are planted in their entirety except for walkways, and front yard fences, walls and hedges shall be no taller than 3 feet 6 inches above the adjacent sidewalk or as defined in the urban standards for the zone.