Mammoth PEDC Approves MUF Design Review
On Wednesday, October 11, the Mammoth Lakes Planning and Economic Development Commission (PEDC) voted unanimously to approve the Design Review for The Park, also known as the Multi-Use Facility (MUF) at Mammoth Creek Park West.
Funding for the building has already been approved by Town Council, and the purpose of Wednesday’s hearing was to ensure that, as designed, the structure complies with the zoning code.
The parcel at 686 Old Mammoth Road is designated in the Town’s General Plan as “Public and Quasi-Public” open space. It is approximately 5 acres in size, and is currently in use as a playground, open space, and a 44-car parking lot.
Town staff used data for usage of the existing ice rink and community center to estimate how much parking would be necessary to meet the needs of The Park/MUF. Assistant Planner Nolan Bobroff reported that 107 additional parking spaces would be needed to serve The Park/MUF at full build-out of the facility, for a total of 151 parking spaces on-site, on 13,400 square feet of parking lot. Based on traffic at the existing ice rink, it was determined that 80 spaces would be sufficient for the initial phases of construction. The design approved allowed for phased construction of those 151 parking spots, to complement the phased construction of the facility.
At a Town Council meeting last week, Kyle Peterson, a principal of HMC Architects, the firm hired to design the building, reported that structure will be 37,000 square feet when built to completion and located 150 feet from the closest residential structure.
Bobroff reported on Wednesday that the square footage of the structure has not changed since September. The only changes approved on Wednesday were regarding the siding (the Design Committee vetoed natural cedar planks in favor of treated, hardier material that would not require annual staining), and the color of the facility. The structure will have a “Zinc Gray” roof instead of the originally proposed black roof, to prevent heat from being trapped in the building and melting the ice. Additionally, an eight-foot-high black, metal fence was approved along the southern and eastern perimeters of the building for security purposes.
