Mastering a Lodestar Amendment
More than a decade after Mammoth’s Town Council approved the Lodestar at Mammoth Master Plan for approximately 228 acres situated around the Sierra Star Golf Course, that Master Plan is undergoing a District Zoning Amendment as property owner GRM looks to find an interested developer. Associate Planner Jen Daughterty described the amendment as an effort to “clean up” the Master Plan for the resort development proposal, which includes a hotel, low and medium density residential units, and commercial space surrounding the 18-hole Sierra Star Golf Course.
Planning and Economic Development Commissioners were in favor of what they considered relatively minor changes, some to reconcile differences between the 1991 plan for the golf course and residential projects, and the current layout of the golf course and residential projects. To date, some 434 units have either been built or entitled in the Lodestar Master Plan, which leaves 829 units, including a 500-unit hotel, remaining for development.
However, Commissioners expressed concern with Area 5 in the Lodestar Master Plan, which includes the potential for 200 single family homes, the 500-unit hotel, and 80,000 square feet of resort-related commercial space. Their concern stemmed from the 200 single family homes, which, due to vagaries in language, could potentially take over the entire Area 5 development.
Said Commissioner David Harvey, “My concern is for the hotel property. It would please me if the area for the hotel was singled out. We’re limited on TOT [Transient Occupancy Tax]-producing property, and I would hate to inadvertently do something that would put in jeopardy a 500-room product that has always been contemplated for this site.”
Harvey characterized single-family dwellings as “trophy homes,” and said that they “don’t help the Town of Mammoth Lakes at the end of the day with potential TOT generation.”
John Hooper of the Solstice II project, 2.41 acres contained in Area 5, clarified that the single family dwelling amendment to the Lodestar Master Plan was intended only for Solstice II. “We never contemplated that this entire zone would be single family homes,” he said. This explanation satisfied Commissioners, who made a note of containing single family dwellings within the Solstice II project, and offered their overall support for the Lodestar Master Plan Amendment. The Amendment now goes to Council for final approval.
