A new shopping center under construction in downtown Cathedral City will have several fast-food restaurants, including a "Chipotlane" that will allow customers to pick up their burritos from the popular chain through a drive-thru.
The long-awaited Cathedral Cove Center will be located near Agua Caliente Casino and Cathedral City Civic Center, at the southwest corner of Date Palm Drive and East Palm Canyon Drive. It will make up nearly 6 acres of an almost 14-acre development project that is also expected to include housing.
Craig Smith, CEO and founder of Fountainhead Development, said housing will be located on the land behind the center.
"The city wants residential and we are making progress with securing a residential development partner," Smith said.
A few structures have already been built in the largely vacant desert land where the center is set to be, including the Chipotle. Residents and visitors in Cathedral City have seen construction commence over the past year, which has also caused some traffic along East Palm Canyon Drive.
The businesses at the center will include Chipotle, Farmer Boys, Starbucks and Circle K, according to Smith. He said the Chipotle will have a "Chipotlane," which allows customers to make their order in advance on its website or app and then pick it up from a drive-thru. It is not like a typical drive-thru since you can't make your order to a speaker or employee in your car and then wait in line to get it.
Ordering food through apps or websites to pick-up is the direction retail is headed, Smith added.
He said he believes Chipotle and Starbucks should be opening in a couple months.
"There is a good chance that Chipotle and Starbucks will be open first, and then Farmer Boys and Circle K will be opening at some point after them," Smith said.
Farmer Boys was the first business announced during the 2022 city council meeting in which the center was approved. It will be the second in the Coachella Valley, according to Farmer Boys' website.
Smith said it is Fountainhead Development's 19th project in the valley.
"It is a market that continues to expand, which a lot of places in Southern California can't say that," he said. "It continues to expand, which is something that we enjoy being part of."
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at [email protected].