One Year Later: FH640 and the Fight to Save the High Desert

Today marks one year since the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors rejected Flamingo Heights 640 (FH640), a controversial glamping project that proposed transforming 640 acres of pristine desert into a sprawling “eco-tourism” destination. Flamingo Heights, an unincorporated community in the Morongo Basin just outside of Joshua Tree, is known for its quiet rural charm and sweeping desert landscapes. For developers, FH640 was an opportunity to capitalize on the booming tourism industry centered around nearby Joshua Tree National Park. For the residents of Flamingo Heights and the larger Homestead Valley, it was an existential threat to their rural way of life.

Billed as a luxury experience in harmony with the desert, FH640’s plans told a different story. The proposal initially included 75 glamping tents alongside a 200-seat amphitheater, a helicopter pad, and a 300-space parking lot (Save Our Deserts). Located in a Rural Living (RL) zone, land designated primarily for residential use, the project represented a dramatic overreach. Its scale and infrastructure needs raised significant concerns about water scarcity, environmental impacts, and the erosion of the quiet character that defines the Homestead Valley and the greater Morongo Basin.

Tourism's Double-Edged Sword

The Morongo Basin, with Joshua Tree National Park as its crown jewel, has become a magnet for tourism. In 2023, nearly three million visitors descended on the park, drawn by its surreal rock formations, expansive vistas, and the iconic Joshua trees that dot the landscape (National Park Service). This influx of visitors has fueled a boom in short-term rentals, with Airbnb listings skyrocketing over the past decade (Desert Sun).

While tourism has brought economic growth, it has also exposed the limits of the desert’s infrastructure and natural resources. Water scarcity is a perennial issue in the Morongo Basin, where aquifers are critically overdrafted, and demand consistently outpaces supply (U.S. Geological Survey). The rise in short-term rentals has driven up housing costs, displacing long-term residents and straining local services. FH640 sought to capitalize on this tourism surge but in doing so became emblematic of the tensions between economic opportunity and ecological and cultural preservation.

A Community United

The fight against FH640 galvanized the Homestead Valley and greater Basin community in a way few issues had before. What began as isolated concerns quickly grew into a multi-year grassroots movement. Residents organized petitions that garnered over 6,000 signatures (Change.org), attended public hearings in record numbers, and forged alliances with advocacy groups like Save Our Deserts, Morongo Basin Glamping Taskforce, Homestead Valley Community Council, and Morongo Basin Conservation Association.

The project’s location in a Rural Living zone was a rallying point. Residents argued that the area’s zoning was intended to protect its residential and rural character, not to accommodate large-scale commercial developments. Environmental concerns further fueled opposition. The project’s reliance on the region’s already overstretched aquifers was a glaring red flag, and critics highlighted the potential disruption to local wildlife, including desert tortoises and migratory birds.

Homestead Valley residents also took aim at the developers’ lack of meaningful engagement with the community. The scale of the opposition culminated in December 2023, when the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted to deny FH640’s permit (Z107.7 FM). For the community, it was a hard-fought victory that underscored the power of collective action.

Lessons from FH640

The rejection of FH640 has left an indelible mark on the Morongo Basin. It demonstrated the importance of aligning development proposals with the character and needs of the communities they affect. Developers who fail to consider these factors, as FH640’s backers did, risk project delays and outright rejection.

At the same time, the battle over FH640 exposed vulnerabilities in the region’s planning framework. In 2020, San Bernardino County replaced localized Community Plans with a Countywide Plan, leaving unincorporated areas like Flamingo Heights with less tailored protections (San Bernardino County Planning). Without the specificity of Community Plans, residents were forced to rely on grassroots advocacy to protect their interests. The lack of a formalized plan that reflected the unique needs of the Homestead Valley made the fight against FH640 longer and more contentious than it might otherwise have been.

The Path Forward

Since FH640’s rejection, smaller-scale developments have gained traction in the Morongo Basin, with several boutique hotels and other projects moving forward in commercial zones. While these developments are less contentious than larger proposals, they continue to spark concerns about the cumulative effects of increased tourism on the region’s limited water resources, infrastructure, and housing availability.

Meanwhile, there has been an increase in applications and projects for ‘campsites’ in Rural Living zones, often pursued through Conditional Use Permits. While these smaller proposals may not attract the same level of public attention as FH640, they represent a piecemeal approach to development that has the potential to gradually erode the desert’s rural character and environmental health.

Joshua Tree National Park remains central to the high desert’s identity and economy, but the pressures it brings are undeniable. The balance between preserving the desert’s fragile ecosystem and accommodating its growing popularity is delicate, and the choices made today will shape the region for decades to come.

A Community’s Resolve

The fight against FH640 proved that the Homestead Valley and the Basin is not just a place—it’s a community deeply invested in its future. The project’s rejection was a statement that the desert is not simply a commodity to be exploited but a home and a haven worth protecting.

One year later, the lessons of FH640 remain clear. The high desert’s allure lies in its vast open spaces, quietude, and resilience. These qualities are finite; preserving them will require vigilance, thoughtful planning, and a continued commitment to balancing progress with preservation. The Homestead Valley has shown it is more than capable of rising to that challenge.