Heading for the Hills?
Former Ritz site is back on the drawing board
A decade ago, there were plans to build a Ritz-Carlton hotel on the lot neighboring the Westin Monache.
That lot is now apparently back in play.
Dave Harvey, serving as a local representative for Cerberus Capital Management, appeared before a joint Mammoth Council/Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday to talk about a project revival and some proposed planning and zoning changes that he says woiuld be critical to the project’s viability.
Right now, there isn’t a project per se. There was a nice drawing of a hotel and trees in the agenda packet, sure, but the discussion Wednesday was over entitlements.
In its last iteration, there was a project approved for 317 rooms of density. The first iteration of the project called for 427 rooms according to Harvey. This time around, the number they’re asking for is 403.
Lately, the Town has also begun to measure density in an alternative fashion (Floor Area ratio – which takes total built space and divides it by lot area). Harvey said the contemplated project FAR of 1.2 is well within the Town guidelines (max of 2.0).
The project, said Harvey, would be part hotel and part stand-alone Townhomes.
One of the questions addressed concerned the definition of a room. A hotel room? A bedroom? A sleeping area? Council asked the Planning Department to get more specific.
Dave Harvey explained that the project was first cleared for 427 rooms. The density was then lowered to accommodate for parking. The average density across the project site, as currently entitled, is 46 rooms per acre. The average density proposed, assuming 403 rooms, is 58 rooms per acre.
Harvey said that he has worked diligently for four years in order to “try and bring
Mammoth back when the market comes back.” Rich guys have their own secret language. He said a project needs the maximum density if it expects to be successful.
The proposal is to provide 416 parking spaces for 403 rooms, in line with the NVSP. The project is in line with the Town’s Foot First initiative, trying to wrangle people towards public transit or walking on streets that have no sidewalks. When there’s no place to park, people won’t have a choice.
