Larry Ellison's Rancho Mirage Retreat: Public Comments Due

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA — A project that proposes to reposition billionaire tech mogul Larry Ellison's Porcupine Creek private estate in Rancho Mirage into a posh retreat is currently under environmental review, and the public has until Dec. 14 to weigh in on the draft document.

Approximately 191 acres of Ellison's 230-acre Porcupine Creek estate would be turned into an exclusive retreat with a total of up to 50 studio, single-bedroom, and multi-bedroom units. Proposed upgrades on the property would also include a modified main house, a new restaurant, dining deck, upgraded spa complex, additional retreat-related facilities, and a rerouted 18-hole golf course, according to city documents.

Ellison purchased the property in 2011 for a reported $43 million. He has since remodeled the estate to include an additional 16,000 square feet to the site's total building footprint. The upgrades have included spa treatment rooms, a tennis pavilion, a fitness center, a gate house and new villas, according to city documents.

Ellison is a tennis fan who has helped expand the sport in the Coachella Valley. He purchased the BNP Paribas Open and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for $100 million in 2009. The annual BNP Paribas Open attracts the world's top tennis players and brings millions of tourism dollars to the valley each March (except in 2020, when the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus). Ellison has hosted top players at Porcupine Creek during the event.

The property is located about a half-mile southwest of Highway 111, and west of the Magnesia Falls Cove neighborhood.

The potential environmental impacts of the Porcupine Creek Retreat are outlined in a draft Environmental Impact Report. This draft is available for a 45-day public review period that began October 30, 2020 and ends on December 14, 2020. To review the draft document and its appendices, click here.

Comments on the draft EIR should be made in writing by December 14, 2020 to: Majna Dukic, Planning Manager, City of Rancho Mirage, 69825 Highway 111 Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, 760-328-2266 or MD@RanchoMirageCA.gov. When emailing, type "Porcupine Creek Retreat
Specific Plan DEIR" in the subject line. For all correspondence, include the name, address, and other contact information.

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