Rancho Mirage City Hall displays signage celebrating 50 years.
PHOTO BY CHAD VAN HORN
It’s a banner year for Rancho Mirage, now celebrating 50 years since incorporating as a city on August 3, 1973. Half a century of carefully considered civic improvements and enhancements have ushered in tremendous change for this mid-valley community. The city of Rancho Mirage has crafted its own unique identity and continues to forge ahead with new and exciting projects.
Magic in the Air
Cotino, the first Storyliving by Disney community, is shaping up to be a standout addition to the city. The DMB Development-led residential project on 618 acres bounded by Monterey Avenue, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Gerald Ford Drives has garnered national attention. The home building phase is set to commence on this distinctive property, which features the show-stopping 24-acre Cotino Bay at its center.
The architectural concepts for Cotino’s four main home collections are inspired by the Coachella Valley’s history and landscape. The single-family residences in the proposed (and aptly named) Coachella Collection rely on Southwestern stylings, while the Agrarian Collection will take its cues from rustic modern style. The planned Oasis Collection will lean into the material and color palette of midcentury modern design while the Aspiron Collection will adopt a contemporary aesthetic.
An aerial rendering shows the expansive lagoon at Cotino, a Storyliving by Disney Community.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF RANCHO MIRAGE
Promenades and parks situated throughout Cotino will provide spectacular water and mountain views. There will also be an opportunity for residents to further acquaint themselves with the Disney lifestyle and build relationships with others by virtue of a club membership. The Artisan Club has been proposed to give members access to the Parr House — a multifunctional venue and event space — as well as access to a beachfront clubhouse with a fitness center, pool, pickleball court, restaurant, and more. There will be curated Disney signature events, performances, and seasonal celebrations to enjoy, plus opportunities to volunteer. The Disney Touch will be evident throughout this magical community.
CITY STATS
POPULATION
Total Population
17,285
Median Age
66.4
Annual Growth Rate
0.1%
Average Household Income
$156,721
Median Household Income
$98,496
EDUCATION
High School Diploma
14.9%
Bachelor’s Degree
25.49%
Graduate/Professional Degree
21.64%
EMPLOYMENT
Healthcare/Social Assistance
18.32%
Professional/Scientific/Tech Services
12.25%
Education services
8.48%
Retail Trade
8.02%
Accommodations/Food Service
6.57%
Arts/Entertainment/Recreation
6.27%
Transportation/Warehouse
5.79%
Admin/Support/Waste Management Services
4.8%
Construction
4.71%
Information
3.92%
Public Administration
3.64%
SOURCE:
Coachella Valley Economic Partnership/Esri
Neighboring developments
Meanwhile, changes are afoot at a long-standing community situated diagonally across from Cotino. Desert Island Country Club, located at the southwest corner of Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra Drives, is part of the early fabric of the city of Rancho Mirage. The project was originally approved by the county of Riverside in 1971 and was then annexed to Rancho Mirage when the city incorporated two years later. By 1979, three residential towers with 226 dwellings, ancillary buildings, a golf course, lake, and clubhouse had all been constructed per the original county approvals.
Desert Island recently changed ownership and is set to gain a new boutique hotel with four one-story buildings and 11 hotel-condo units. Approximately 17 acres of the existing Desert Island golf course are being repurposed for the project, which includes accompanying grounds featuring tennis courts, a pool, a café, and a yoga pavilion for guest use. Each of the units in the 34-key hotel will be designed as a self-sufficient luxury suite with a chef’s kitchen, generous floor plan, private garden, and private outdoor space.
Galleri Classic.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF RANCHO MIRAGE
To be constructed in four phases, the proposed project’s design and layout will be inspired by, and complement, the existing Desert Island community. Envisioned as a high-end venue with guests booking multi-day overnight stays, the transformation of the golf course into a hotel with residences will provide a supplemental revenue source to help maintain the golf operations. It will also enhance hospitality and dining opportunities in the clubhouse for Desert Island residents and provide the city with a new source of revenue to help fund public services.
Improving on the best
Nestled at the foot of Santa Rosa Mountains in Rancho Mirage, Sensei Porcupine Creek offers guests an intimate, customized wellness experience. In fact, the six-star retreat — the first of its kind in the valley and open just one year — has been so well-received that groundwork is already being laid to double its footprint.
The lush property is the former 230-acre private estate of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. It developed out of a partnership Ellison forged with physician and scientist Dr. David Agus in 2018. The duo founded Sensei Lanai in Hawaii (in partnership with Four Seasons) and, four years later, they expanded their vision to include Sensei Porcupine Creek. The resort features an 18-hole golf course, a main house, guest casitas and villas, a tennis clubhouse, fitness pavilion, personal training space, pool, and spa buildings. The resort opened with 25 keys and is planning a 16-key expansion in the near future, along with additional spa facilities. The plans are an exciting step forward for this premiere property.
Sensei Porcupine Creek.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF RANCHO MIRAGE
Around Town
Half a century since its incorporation, the city of Rancho Mirage has no intention of slowing down. A quick glance around town provides ample evidence of the community’s collective ambition. Eisenhower Health — the city’s largest employer — continues to make progress on the $256 million capital campaign it launched in November 2021 aimed primarily at creating the new Eisenhower Cardiovascular Institute.
Meanwhile, the fun quotient kicked up a notch with the opening of the Coachella Valley’s first Dave & Buster’s at The River at Rancho Mirage last month. And, just this spring, The Galleri Classic signed a new multiyear agreement with Mission Hills Country Club ensuring plenty of exciting golf play lies ahead. Speaking of excitement, parents, grandparents and certainly children, can all look forward to the newly re-imagined Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert when it reopens in spring 2024.
Eisenhower Health.
PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF RANCHO MIRAGE
Fifty years of resourceful leadership and sound planning have led Rancho Mirage to become the city it is today. The community that began as a handful of ranch properties in its fledgling days 100 years ago has come a long way, morphing, growing, and eventually incorporating as a city. Given its present-day status and reputation, one can rest assured only continuing progress lies ahead.