Retail Property Owners: Selling and Leasing in the Coachella Valley

State Route 111 is the main arterial connecting the valley's cities, and much of the valley's retail is along it. Each city treats its part of the corridor differently, through its own specific plan, overlay, or revitalization program. Those rules affect what a buyer can redevelop and which tenants a landlord can sign. A retail broker who knows the corridor your property is on is a big help.

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Local retail factors

• New and recent corridor plans.
• La Quinta approved a Highway 111 Corridor Specific Plan in April 2026 with a mixed-use framework.
• Rancho Mirage has a Highway 111 Specific Plan with 12 planning areas, and its general plan encourages lot consolidation along Highway 111.
• Indian Wells has a Highway 111 overlay that discourages suburban strip commercial.
• Established districts.
• Palm Desert has El Paseo, an upscale shopping district modeled after Rodeo Drive.
• Palm Springs has La Plaza, which opened in 1936 as one of Southern California's first self-contained shopping centers.
• Rancho Mirage has Restaurant Row and The River.
• Indio has several shopping centers, including Indio Towne Center and The Showcase at Indio.
• Revitalization. In Cathedral City, the city has reported revitalization of the Golden Mile Shopping Center on Date Palm Drive and a new commercial development at the corridor's south end.
• Seasonality. Indio's economy combines agriculture with seasonal tourism, which runs from October to May. Tenants that depend on visitors will look at how a location performs through the year.
• Impact fees. The retail category of CVAG's Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee applies to new retail square footage, which matters for pad development and expansions.

Selling versus leasing

Leasing your space makes sense if you want to keep a well-located center and build its income. A retail leasing broker can help you choose tenants and negotiate terms such as co-tenancy, exclusives, and options.

Selling may make sense if a corridor plan has changed what your site could become, if lot consolidation makes your parcel more valuable to a neighbor, or if you are ready to exit. A stabilized center is usually marketed to investors based on its leases. See investment properties.

Broker expertise to look for

• Retail leasing or sales experience on your corridor
• Knowledge of the local specific plan or overlay that applies to your parcel
• Relationships with regional and national tenants and with local operators
• A clear plan for presenting a property's seasonal traffic

Questions to ask a broker

1. Which retail properties have you leased or sold near mine?
2. How does the current corridor plan affect my site's uses or redevelopment potential?
3. Which tenant categories fit my space, and which should I avoid?
4. How would you market vacancies, and how often would you report?
5. What would our representation agreement cover?

How matching works

Tell us your property's location, size, and current tenancy. With your permission, we introduce you to a commercial broker who can discuss your property and representation options. An inquiry does not create a representation agreement. Any brokerage services are provided by the receiving broker.

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More on selling commercial property or leasing commercial property in the Coachella Valley.