Project Updates
Project Updates
Overview of Capital Projects
College of the Desert is committed to creating essential programs, effective services, and sustainable facilities for current and prospective students, faculty and staff at locations across the Coachella Valley. To achieve this goal, College of the Desert, under the Desert Community College District, develops and leads a five-year capital funding and construction program that plans various projects. The five-year capital construction plan is reviewed and updated annually.
Capital projects are made possible by Measure B and Measure CC bonds, each passed by Coachella Valley citizens and approved under the requirements of California’s Proposition 39, the Strict Accountability in Local School Construction Bonds Act.
MEASURE B – Approved in 2004, is a $346.5 million bond to fund facilities and projects to train residents for jobs, prepare students for four-year colleges and accommodate increasing enrollment at the College.
MEASURE CC – Was passed in 2016 by more than 71% of voters and provides $577.8 million to invest in the future of College of the Desert, its students and the valley community. Measure CC projects focus on building new classrooms and laboratories and expanding educational opportunities and access throughout the valley.
Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee
A Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee regularly reviews the College’s Bond-Funded Construction Program to ensure compliance with Proposition 39, including spending bond funds only on those projects identified in Measures B and CC approved by voters. The committee, formed in 2004, is made up of representatives from taxpayers’ groups, local businesses and industries, senior organizations and students.
Current Key Projects Include:
- Palm Springs Campus
- Roadrunner Motors
- Palm Desert Athletics and Field Project
- Palm Desert Science Building Renovation
- Indio Campus Expansion
- Indio Campus Renovation
- Indio Child Development Center
- Smaller capital improvement projects
College of the Desert presents a Capital Projects Report and update to the Board of Trustees bi-monthly. Keep reading for details on the College’s special projects.
Palm Springs Campus
The Palm Springs Campus has been envisioned as a regional workforce innovation center, functioning as the center of collaboration for the entire region and beyond. In addition to traditional teaching and learning, this campus is seen as a potential game changer – a hub for innovative new learning opportunities; with the facilities, technology, infrastructure, location and Palm Springs brand integral to growing enrollment, expanding learning experiences, strengthening access and creating partnerships to activate and integrate the campus and communities.
PROJECT PROGRAMMING
The goals and objectives of the Palm Springs Campus include:
- Expand economic resources in the area by providing an enhanced labor force for businesses in sustainable technologies, hospitality and culinary arts, architecture, film and media arts, and by creating new jobs in education and related fields.
- Provide for the development of partnering education and training opportunities between the College and other educational institutions, outside foundations, institutions, and businesses.
- Enhance and implement sustainability by integrating sustainable design, technologies, and operations throughout all aspects of the campus.
- Provide an appropriate and complementary mix of campus land uses – academic, workforce education and training, and application of sustainable technologies in an environment that enhances social and academic interaction and outcomes.
Relevance of the Signature Programs
In addition to meeting the General Education requirements of traditional and non-traditional students, the signature programs are designed to support the educational and employment needs of specific industry sectors of the Coachella Valley.
These programs include Hospitality and Tourism, Culinary Arts, Healthcare, Film, Media and Digital Arts, Architecture and Sustainable Technologies. These courses of study will directly support the region’s expanding and emerging businesses and support workforce and economic development in the region.
Through innovative technologies, state-of-the-art facilities, and collaborative partnerships, the Palm Springs Campus will also support destination education, international education, and specialized workforce training.
PS Campus Project Management Team
At the February 16, 2023 Desert Community College District Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees approved schematic design plans for the campus in Palm Springs, directing staff to incorporate several adjustments prior to final phases of design plan completion for submittal to the state for final approval.
You can access further information including presentations and documents from the Schematic Design Public Meetings on the COD bond website:
Project Details
Incorporating input from College faculty and staff, industry experts, and community partners the Palm Springs Campus features:
- Accelerator
- Accelerator Lab
- Collaborative Spaces
- Student Cafe
- Student Services
- Student Health Clinic
- Student Food Bank
- Flexible Classrooms
- Testing Center
- Flat Floor Studio
- Film Screening Room
- Film Sound Studio
- Film & TV Production Studio
- Green Screen Studio
- Radio/Podcast Broadcasting Suite
- Makerspace
- Architecture Studios, Makerspace and Yard
- Science Labs
- Simulation Labs & Observation Suites
- Skills Labs
- Mobility Hub
- Culinary Institute
- Demonstration Kitchen
- Foundations Kitchen
- Advanced Skills Kitchen
- Pastry & Baking Kitchen
- Culinary Dining
- Chocolate & Packaging Lab
- Social Media Makerspace
- Instructional Classrooms
- Event Center & Hospitality Suite
- Event Pre-function
- Event Space
- Event Lawn
- Breakout Rooms
- Hospitality Plaza
- Hospitality Suite with Mock Hotel Rooms
- Auxiliary Building
- Central Utility Plant
- Maintenance & Operations
- Campus Safety
PROJECT BUDGET: $405,700,000
TIMELINE
- June 2023 | Schematic Design Complete
- November 2023 | Design Development Complete
- Spring 2024 | First Formal DSA Submittal
- Fall 2024 | Anticipated Start of Bidding
- Winter 2024 | Start of Construction
- Spring 2027 | End of Construction
- Fall 2027 | First Classes Held
Roadrunner Motors
Roadrunner Motors, a new facility that will house College of the Desert’s in-demand Automotive Technology Program, will be located in the heart of the dealership area in Cathedral City. Students will be trained and educated in state-of-the-art techniques using a small fleet of vehicles and hands-on instruction. The site is near the largest concentration of automotive businesses in the region, including body work, parts and repair, auto dealerships and car rentals. Local businesses will collaborate with students in the courses to provide mentoring and engagement.
PROJECT PROGRAMMING
The Automotive Technology Training Center facility will incorporate and enhance the existing program, including equipment and fleet. The new center will feature specialized and general classrooms, vehicle work area with service bay lifts, equipment storage, offices, conference rooms and support spaces. The state-of-the-art program will provide students with the skills needed for immediate employment.
Design/Renderings
PROJECT DETAILS
- Located at the Ecoplex in Cathedral City
- 25,983-square-foot building
- General and specialized classrooms
- 50-seat lecture hall
- Instructional labs with 16 bays
- Electric charging station and CNG filling station
- Industry partner conference room
- Parking for instructional vehicles, students, faculty and staff
PROJECT BUDGET: $37,750,000
TIMELINE
- Winter 2022-Winter 2023 – Design
- Winter 2023-Winter 2024 – Plan Checking/ Bidding
- Fall 2024-Spring 2026 – Construction
- Summer 2026 – Occupancy
Palm Desert Campus
The College’s Palm Desert campus is the site of significant improvement projects, including renovation of antiquated facilities that provide space for education and student programs. Major projects include upgrading the science building and constructing a new football stadium.
PROJECT DETAILS
- Demolition of the existing stadium
- Construction of a 20,000-square-foot stadium
- Team locker rooms, equipment storage and support spaces
- 3,000 square foot weight room
- New sports lighting for football and soccer fields
- New landscaping and renovated parking lot
PROJECT BUDGET: $36,475,740
TIMELINE
- Summer 2021-Winter 2022 – Design
- Spring 2023-Spring 2024 – Plan Checking/Bidding
- Summer 2024-Summer 2025 – Construction
- Summer 2025 – Occupancy
Science Building Renovation Project
Project Details
- Renovate and modernize interior of the 15,025-square-foot building, originally built in the 1960s and partially upgraded in 2002
- Preserve the original exterior architecture, as one of the campus’ core “historic” buildings
- New laboratory and classroom spaces
- State-of-the-art instructional technology
- Support spaces and new staff offices
- Utility replacement, including electrical, plumbing, mechanical and exhaust systems for laboratory hoods
- New roof as part of minimal exterior improvements
PROJECT BUDGET: $15,400,000
TIMELINE
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Fall 2021-Spring 2023 – Design
- Spring 2023-Spring 2024 – Plan Checking/Bidding
- Summer 2024-Winter 2025 – Construction
- Winter 2025 – Occupancy
Indio Campus
An expansion and renovation of the College’s Indio campus is underway, a desperately needed new educational setting that will connect to the current facility. The Indio Expansion Project includes modest renovations to the existing facility and a new, state-of-the-art instructional Child Development Center. The larger facility will allow for double the current enrollment of the Indio campus, accommodating an additional 5,000 students.
INDIO EXPANSION PROJECT DETAILS
- 67,000-square-foot expansion
- New instructional building adjacent to the existing facility connected by a pavilion
- 10,000 square feet of modest renovations to the original facility
- Designed to accommodate student support services, classrooms, laboratories, faculty and staff offices, a student café, open study spaces and collaboration areas
- Large outdoor deck space and informal social spaces along corridors
- Parking lots and landscape buffers
PROJECT BUDGET: $75,200,768
TIMELINE
- Fall 2017-Spring 2021 – Design
- Spring 2021-Spring 2022 – Plan Checking/Bidding
- Spring 2022-Spring 2025 – Construction (2 Project Phases)
- Spring 2025 – Occupancy
Indio Child Development Center
The Indio Child Development Center will be a teaching and learning environment that includes a new, 18,000-square-foot building with 7,000 square feet of outdoor play yards and shade structures. The new building will accommodate toddler and preschool classrooms and observation and support spaces.
Indio Child Development Center Project Details
- 18,000-square-foot childcare facility
- 7,000 square feet of outdoor play yards and shade structures
- Toddler and preschool classrooms
- Adult Early Childhood Education classroom and observation space
- New parking lots
PROJECT BUDGET: $26,185,000
TIMELINE
- Fall 2019-Summer 2021 – Design
- Summer 2021-Spring 2022 – Plan checking/bidding
- Spring 2022-Fall 2023 – Construction
- Fall 2023 – Occupancy
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2022-2023 Bond Audit Report
The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee generates an annual Bond Audit Report, which provides an overview and summary of bond fund expenditures approved by the Desert Community College District Board of Trustees. The report is required by Proposition 39, the legislative authority for Measures B and CC, which were approved by voters in 2004 and 2016. The seven-member committee, assisted by a College Program Management Team, oversees $924.3 in bonds earmarked for construction and campus renovations.
SUMMARY
The Bond Audit Report contains sections dedicated to the following:
- Overview of the District Bond Program, including Measure B, Measure CC, Oversight Committee Purpose and Members, and the Program Management Team
- Palm Desert Campus
- Indio Campus
- Palm Springs Campus
- Roadrunner Motors
- Independent Financial and Performance Audits
- Bond Projects, Expenditures and Progress
SUSTAINABILITY
College of the Desert is committed to sustainable best practices in all construction and campus environments. The College’s Facilities Master Plan is a responsible design and development template that considers efficiency and environmental impacts and preserves natural resources. The plan provides a vision for the future state of academic and support services space, buildings, and overall campus improvements on each of the College’s five campuses.
Numerous College projects have achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for following green building principles. Some examples:
- Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation Nursing Complex
- Public Safety Academy
- The Donald and Peggy Cravens Student Services Center
The Palm Springs Development Project (PSDP), currently under construction, will exemplify sustainable practices through its use of technologies, energy production, energy management and monitoring and stewardship of resources. A highlight is the planned mobility hub, which will accommodate multiple travel options, including bikes, buses, and electric and shared vehicles.