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It’s a situation that Gold is very mindful of.
“Pioneertown and Joshua Tree began to boom after COVID,” she said. “Many people wanted to escape the city and enjoy a slower pace of life, so they started moving out and purchasing homes and land.”
Some residents worry that the zoning rules introduced by San Bernardino County in 2020 could ultimately alter the town’s character.
The San Bernardino Sun reported in July 2023 that these new zoning regulations may reclassify Mane Street as “Rural Desert Commercial,” a designation that would replace the previous restrictions on commercial activity.
“If Mane Street turns into that thing — turns into a mini-mall — the surrounding community, the people that have been here for decades with horses, all that stuff just goes to hell,” Curt Sautter, owner of the Pioneertown Film Museum, told The Sun then.
But Gold said she doesn’t expect Pioneertown to fall victim to rapid growth.
“I don’t see it booming or becoming gentrified like other towns,” she said. “The area has a limited capacity for new housing, gas lines, and wells, so growth is very restricted.”
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