A Joshua tree stands at attention at sunset.

Plans for a high-end outdoor hotel at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park are being scuttled after years of local debate and one very contentious lawsuit. Ofland Twentynine Palms, an eco-style resort property set on more than 150 California High Desert acres in the city of Twentynine Palms, will not move forward after all, the property’s developers said in an email to SFGATE.

“After careful evaluation, Ofland Hotels has made the strategic decision to halt the project in response to the softening market demand,” the email reads.

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Ofland Twentynine Palms was originally envisioned as an outdoor-focused adult playground of sorts, featuring 100 variously sized cabins set within the desert landscape, as well as a pool, a public restaurant and other amenities. The project’s Las Vegas-based owners, Ofland Hotels, already operate a similar project called Ofland Escalante in Utah, between Zion National Park and Capitol Reef National Park.

The proposed hotel site sat in the Indian Cove........

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