Coachella is building its way to an energy-efficient future

Guest article by Jackie Krentzman, freelance writer and editor

The city of Coachella bills itself as the "City of Eternal Sunshine." But eternal sunshine comes at a cost. As housing prices soared in other parts of Riverside County, more families sought the relative affordability of this desert community. The July 2024 median sale price of a house in Coachella was $398,000 according to Redfin - about $217,000 less than in the county as a whole.

Coachella's population has more than doubled since 2000. City leaders soon realized that to accommodate growth, they needed to encourage housing that doesn't strain the city's power infrastructure and incorporate measures that can improve the livability of a place where average temperatures can soar to 100-plus degrees for weeks on end.

Local officials say 2023 marked a turning point. The city received a $22 million Transformative Climate Communities grant to improve green spaces, provide affordable housing, and create workforce development opportunities all centered on addressing climate change at the local level. The grant was a game changer, jumpstarting the city's climate-focused initiatives.

"We've seen hurricanes, we've seen droughts, we've seen dust storms, and we've seen more days of hotter weather," said Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez during a press conference. "This is about making sure that our residents can adjust and thrive, the best we can in this new predicament of global warming."

The city used the funding to create Coachella Prospera, developed in collaboration with 11 community partners. A focal point for Coachella Prospera is turning downtown Coachella into a more livable and climate-friendly community. That starts with centering multifamily housing in or near downtown, with easy access to public transportation, shopping, and other services.

Over 100 of the 1,076 units built in Coachella since 2020 are downtown, with another 108 under construction. The city also issued over 550 housing permits in 2022 and 2023, many for accessory dwelling units.

The centerpiece of the downtown housing boom is Pueblo Viejo Villas, a $47 million net zero, multifamily development with 105 units of affordable housing. The project welcomed its first tenants in 2022. Fourteen million dollars of that funding came from the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, which provides funding to projects that integrate low-carbon transportation and affordable housing that benefit low-income communities.

Pueblo Viejo Villas is one of three Coachella developments built by Chelsea Investment Corporation, a Coachella Prospera partner. Chelsea has built several multifamily projects in the city and recently broke ground on a 108-unit affordable housing community across the street from Pueblo Viejo Villas.

Read the full story in the September issue of Western City magazine.

The Cal Cities #LocalWorks initiative shines the spotlight on examples of local actions that are making a difference to their communities. Show how #LocalWorks in your community by contacting [email protected].

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