Photos: A construction boom in downtown Palm Springs

Construction continues on new hotels, restaurants and other amenities in Palm Springs, which during its heyday in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s drew visitors from around the world to the Coachella Valley.

A group of friends gather to socialize over cigars on North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. To some, the city’s efforts to help developers revitalize its aging downtown have spurred a long-overdue move into the future. Others see a threat to the city’s unique charm and say developers have grown too powerful.

Construction work in progress on East Tahquitz Canyon Way, seen through the fountain at Palm Springs International Airport. “We’re in a very historic renaissance that’s going on,” said Mayor Pro Tem Paul Lewin. “And it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because we work really hard to encourage people to invest in our city.”

Workers use blowers to clean up in front of Palm Springs City Hall. “People like to come here because it’s an escape from the city, but this council is putting, basically, a miniature Century City in the heart of town,” said Frank Tysen, who owns a downtown boutique hotel.

Michael Muller, right, leads a group workout at Desert Basic Training Boot Camp along Tramway Road in Palm Springs. In recent years, the city has often been overshadowed by swank new developments in neighboring towns such as Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage.

A view of Palm Springs from the Palm Springs Tramway. The desert oasis was once considered Hollywood’s playground; now, far from being a Tinseltown hot spot, the city is seen by some in younger generations as a stodgy retirement community.

Palm trees and a construction crane are silhouetted in the night desert sky. Many here have long argued that the city center was in desperate need of revitalization. Palm Springs was hard hit by the recession, but development, particularly downtown, had slowed to a crawl as far back as the late 1980s.