Palm Desert library project timeline delayed to late 2028 or 2029

City staff told the Palm Desert City Council they are adding an extra round of interviews before recommending a design-build partner for the new library, pushing back the anticipated completion date and delaying a formal recommendation until September.

At a July 9 study session, a city project official gave the council an update on the progressive design-build procurement process for the new library building planned for the Civic Center campus.

The council first authorized conceptual design of the project in 2024 and later selected Tilden-Coil Constructors as the original design-builder, but as design validation progressed, projected costs significantly exceeded the city’s budget, prompting the council in March to direct staff toward a new, competitive procurement process following demolition of the Parkview Office Building.

Since then, the city issued a new request for proposals and received six proposals from design-build teams. Staff shortlisted three firms and completed a first round of interviews, narrowing the field to two finalists who are now entering a second round of interviews.

Rather than rushing to select a firm to meet an arbitrary deadline, staff said they would rather take their time and make sure they’ve chosen the right partner who will work with the city over the next several years.

“Spending a few additional weeks today is far preferable to spending years managing issues during design and construction,” the official told the council, explaining the reasoning behind the added interview round.

Following the second round of interviews, staff plan to bring project delivery options to the council at an August study session, then finally provide a recommendation in September.

Based on that schedule, the official said the design project would likely begin in October, conclude in May and eventually the facility would be complete by the “very end of 2028, early 2029.” Earlier estimates had the library opening in early 2028.

Councilmember Jan Harnik said she did not want to ask detailed questions before the August session but supported the additional time being taken. “If we don’t have the time to do it right the first time, we will not have time to do it right the second time,” Harnik said.

Councilmember Gina Nestande asked whether the design could change to match the architecture of other buildings on the Civic Center campus. “It is absolutely gorgeous, but it’s completely different from the architecture we currently have here on campus,” Nestande said of the current design. A staff member responded that some concepts from the two finalist teams could be less expensive and more consistent with the surrounding campus.