The City of Palm Desert today announced that it will receive an $8 million funding award from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to support the City’s housing infrastructure needs.

This project will expand the city’s utility capacity to mitigate future severe flooding impacts. This will directly affect future and existing housing developments along the I-10 corridor in an area that has experienced recent flood damage. The project will support the development of 3,386 units currently approved and 1,663 units under review.

“Palm Desert has a long history of investing in its infrastructure to prepare for natural disasters,” said Palm Desert City Manager Todd Hileman. “With the recent impacts by Tropical Storm Hilary, this investment will play a crucial role in further enhancing Palm Desert's ability to withstand stormwater and enabling the City to better protect current and future residents.”

The grant was approved under SCAG’s Regional Utilities Supporting Housing Pilot Program (RUSH) to support investments in utility infrastructure planning and capital improvements.

“We congratulate this project for helping to address Southern California’s housing crisis and are gratified that the RUSH program allows SCAG to fill a critical need by helping local jurisdictions overcome barriers to housing production,” said SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise.

RUSH is part of SCAG’s efforts to fund planning, financing, and infrastructure to accelerate housing production under SCAG’s Regional Early Action Planning (REAP 2.0) program, which has awarded more than $192 million to projects throughout Southern California in the past year.

For more details on the RUSH Program and a full list of grant recipients, visit the Southern California Association of Governments website.