Board of Supes approve eco-friendly Joshua Tree campground

Plans are underway in Joshua Tree for the development of an approximately 14-acre, eco-friendly campground featuring 22 lodgings shaped like tepees, a 16,000-square-foot reception area and a 300-acre desert tortoise preserve.

The two-phase project is expected to be fully completed in eight years, but the first phase of the project should be completed in about three years, said Abel Villarreal, president of JAT Associates, the Los Angeles-based developer of the campground.

On Tuesday, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved the final development plan for the first phase of the project, which will cost about $20 million. The second phase will cost about $25 million, Villarreal said.

The first phase of the project will include 11 campsites constructed like tepees, the reception area and a 17,000-square-foot fitness center complete with gym, fitness classrooms, locker rooms, snack bar, hair and nail salon, retail shops and an employee lounge. It will also feature a guarhouse, six therapeutic pools, five massage/spa treatment rooms, a dry sauna building and an outdoor sculpture art garden.

"It's a real exciting project. We welcome a project like this with open arms," said Steven Hauer, deputy chief of staff for Third District Supervisor Neil Derry.

He said the state-of-the-art "green campground" serves as an anchor project for the High Desert tourist area, and has the potential to draw in more commerce and development.
JAT purchased the land in 2002, and has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state Department of Fish and Game on the first ever "low-effect habitat conservation plan" for the federally endangered desert toroise, said John Simpson, a co-founder of JAT Associates.

He said another important element of the campground's design is maintaining the rural atmosphere of the desert landscape by leaving roads unpaved, which required special approval by the county Planning Commission.

At build-out, the campground will include 51 buildings and employ 150 people to serve 350 day time guests and 106 overnight guests. Four wind-cooling towers made from shipping containers will cool outdoor patios and lounging areas.

The campground will also feature nine motel-style rooms, horse stables, a 170-space parking lot, one swimming pool, an outdoor theater, two restaurants (including the one in the reception area) and 34 other recreational amenities.

joe.nelson@inlandnewspapers.com