San Bernardino County supervisors approved a zoning change and conditional use permit Tuesday that will let the Lonely Dove Motel in Landers grow from eight units to 42, adding two restaurants, a pool, a day spa and miniature golf to the desert site.
The expansion is expected to create roughly 40 jobs and support the region’s tourist economy, county Planning Division Chief Paul Gonzales told the Board of Supervisors Sept. 1.
“The first phase of the motel expansion will encompass 12 new guest buildings shown in the middle of the site plan with four buildings constructed in the second phase with each building consisting of two units,” Gonzales said.
Phase 1 includes restoration of the existing motel and the caretaker’s unit, with the second phase adding the additional amenities including a “Futuro home,” which is a prefabricated flying-saucer-shaped structure initially designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in 1968.
The project spans a 5-acre parcel and a 10-acre site along Wamego Trail near Highway 247.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on June 4 with notice mailed to 14 surrounding property owners, and no comments were received, Gonzales reported.
Supervisors approved the expansion project unanimously.
Board Chair Dawn Rowe raised a concern about how the county notifies desert residents of proposed projects, saying residents in the Morongo Basin receive notices for distant communities such as Needles and Newberry Springs. She asked staff to explore using mapping technology to target notifications by specific desert communities. Gonzales confirmed that an initial study had mistakenly listed the project as residential instead of commercial, an error that was caught and corrected before the final notices went out.
Separately, the board approved a $755,000 county loan agreement with the Family Assistance Program and Orenda Veterans Project to preserve affordable homeless housing at the Orenda House Project in Apple Valley. The 15-year loan supports housing for veterans and others experiencing homelessness in the High Desert.
The board also approved a more than $623,000 contract with the county Housing Authority for transitional workforce housing at Echo Apartments on East Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino.
Vice Chair Joe Baca Jr. highlighted the eight youth set-aside units included in the agreement, describing it as “a big investment that will help housing for our youth that have challenges finding housing”.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sept. 22.
The AI platform Civilio assisted this report.
