After decades of false starts, the future of the largely empty Indio Grand Marketplace and the long-vacant Nobles Ranch property behind it may finally be coming into focus. City staff and representatives of HCL Indio Land Development, LLC, told the City Council on Dec. 3 that negotiations are progressing and that early 2026 could bring the first visible signs of construction at the mall site.
The presentation marked the halfway point of the 12-month Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) that the city entered with HCL in May. The agreement allows both parties to pursue a potential sale of 15.3 acres of city-owned land behind the mall, formerly home to the historic John Nobles Ranch community. The ENA can be extended for an additional year, meaning talks could continue through mid-2027.
Easements, Appraisals and Environmental Questions Slow the Pace
City Manager Bryan Montgomery said staff are “about halfway through” the technical work needed to make the parcels developable. That work includes removing 31 separate easements for roads and utilities – many tied to the gas company and the Imperial Irrigation District – that currently restrict how the property can be used. Thirteen of those easements have been cleared so far.
HCL President Don Kelly added that the city requested peer reviews of both the new and the 2023 appraisal, and those reviews are now complete. He also noted that an earlier 2021 environmental study left some unresolved questions.
“The work that they did in 2021 answered some questions, but it also raised some questions that will need to get resolved,” Kelly said. “It potentially is nothing, but it just needs to be looked at.”
Kelly emphasized that HCL will not finalize a deal until the environmental issues are addressed and the two sides agree on the land’s ultimate use.
Developer Says Mall Construction Is Close to Starting
While Nobles Ranch remains in the negotiation phase, HCL says it is preparing to begin physical construction at the mall frontage along Highway 111.
Kelly said the company is “one permit away” from starting work on two new commercial buildings just north of the mall and hopes to break ground in January. Three additional Highway 111 buildings are in the planning stage, with lease negotiations underway. Retail, restaurant and medical uses are expected.
Once the final tenant operating in the mall relocates to a new building, HCL plans to demolish the mall’s interior while keeping the former Sears and Gottschalks anchor buildings standing for potential reuse.
The Indio Grand Marketplace site plan for new buildings.
Kelly acknowledged the long delays in revitalizing the site, citing economic cycles, political changes, and the pandemic.
“It’s been challenging to attract retail to that particular site, but we’re now getting some traction,” he said. “We’re not just some out-of-town developer… We’re going to build something here the city is going to be proud of.”
What Could Be Built on Nobles Ranch? Housing, Retail or Both
Kelly said HCL has not yet finalized a vision for the 15.3-acre Nobles Ranch site, noting that the zoning is currently more conducive to residential development.
“Residential supports retail and retail loves having residential nearby,” he said. “There’s going to be a synergy there one way or the other.”
He added that HCL will not prepare detailed plans until environmental concerns are resolved and negotiations progress to a formal Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA). That DDA would require City Council approval of any final site plan.
Council Presses for Higher Standards and for Momentum
City councilmember Waymond Fermon
Council members expressed both optimism and impatience.
Councilmember Waymond Fermon said he has “all the confidence in the world” in HCL, citing its long history in Indio and ties to the Empire Polo Club. But he pushed for faster movement after decades of inactivity.
The 15.3-acre site, known as John Nobles Ranch, once anchored a thriving Black community before the city bought the land in the 1980s for a redevelopment project that never materialized. Since then, it has remained an empty expanse, even as the mall next door slipped into the same long decline that hit shopping centers across the country.
“When that happened, I was nine years old. I’ll be 46 in a couple weeks,” Fermon said, referring to the displacement of Nobles Ranch residents in the 1980s. “It’d be an honor to vote on something to get this done.”
Councilmember Ben Guitron underscored the importance of quality.
“It needs to be something nice that we can look at and be proud of,” he said. He pointed to other Haagen Co. developments and said Indio deserves “nothing less than what is built in other communities.”
City of Indio Mayor Elaine Holmes
Councilmember Glenn Miller stressed that new development must include stores and services that residents currently travel elsewhere to access. “We need shopping… that keeps our residents spending here,” he said.
Mayor Elaine Holmes called the project “delicate” because of its history and said the city must work with residents to create something meaningful. “We look forward to working with the local community there to give them something that they can be proud of,” she said.
What Happens Next
According to city staff and the ENA:
- Environmental review questions must be addressed.
- Easement removal must be completed.
- HCL and the city will begin negotiating the Disposition and Development Agreement, which includes the final land-use proposal.
- The ENA runs through May 2026 and can be extended to 2027.
- Meanwhile, construction along Highway 111 is expected to begin as early as January.
If progress continues, the coming year may finally bring visible change to one of Indio’s most prominent, and most contentious, pieces of land.
