ROCK ‘EM, SOCK ‘EM. PARK ‘EM?
Mammoth’s Planning and Economic Development Commission unanimously approved a tentative tract map, use permit and design review for a 118-unit resort condominium development at its regular meeting Wednesday morning.
The 2.6 acre development will be located at the “Dempsey” corner of Main and Minaret. Or you could also call it the “Nevado’s” corner. Or you could also say it’s the Alpenhof Lodge’s future next-door neighbor.
It’s where the YotelPad was supposed to go before that project was relegated to Mammoth’s extensive dustbin of ‘what if’ history.
But the latest aspirant to the throne, the Mark Rafeh Group, appears like a long-distance runner.
So much so that neighboring Viewpoint owner Andy Ott, who is generally and reliably anti-everything, had only nice things to say about Mr. Rafeh.
Perhaps because Mr. Rafeh has held regular meetings with Mr. Ott since January.
And perhaps because Mr. Rafeh’s proposed project asks for no variances or special accommodations.
In a nutshell, the 118 wholly owned units within seven interconnected buildings will feature a total of 198 bedrooms. There will be understructure parking. Proposed amenities include 2,200-square feet dedicated to reception, a restaurant, retail, a fitness center, et. al.
But that was before Architect Neil Kaye waded into the superlatives and the thousand dollar words and phrases:
“Not just a building but a living extension of Mammoth.”
“Transcends” multi-family housing. ”
“Pays homage” to Mammoth’s “rich history” and “vibrant future.”
“Dynamic”
“Inclusive”
“Sanctuary of wellness”
“Tranquility”
“Harmonious”
“Sustainable”
“Modern aesthetic”
“Personal refuge”
“Community well-being”
*The cliches rolling off his tongue made me, in homage to Cleland Hoff, nearly throw up in my mouth a little bit.
The “sanctuary of wellness” will feature structures approximately 70′ tall (17′ for the garage podium and another 53′ for the five-story max buildings).
But this will evidently be tempered with “meandering walkways” and small “woodland parks.”
Thank God the Schaubmayer brothers, owners of the Alpenhof Lodge, showed up to break the tedium.
Robert Schaubmayer spoke first. And very plainly said, “The math baffles me.”
The math regarding parking, particularly for employees.
The math (the geometry) of how service vehicles will access the property, especially when there is heavy snowfall.
The math. In the Municipal code. Which, according to the public and commission members, is in desperate need of an update.
It took just 127 understructure parking spaces and 14 surface spaces to meet the code requirement for 118 units and 198 bedrooms.
And as Commissioner Greg Eckert said, it’s inevitable and likely frequent “you’re gonna have two cars coming up for a single bedroom.”
Rafeh said parking spaces are assigned, but acknowledged parking will have to be “managed” during peak visitation periods.
Nothing in the code talks about employee parking. The pie in the sky civic planning suggest all employees will commute to their jobs via public transportation.
Schaubmayer said he parks his employees on-site. “At any given time, I’ve got twenty employee spots” for three businesses, he said.
The Alpenhof is a 58-unit property.
The proposed Rocksprings property will have twice that number of units, but when pressed, Rafeh suggested there’d be a maximum of 8-12 employees on-site at any one time.
To which Commissioner Jen Burrows replied, “Your estimate does not compute.”
“Our customer is a driving customer,” said Schaubmayer. “This [underestimation of parking need/demand] isn’t sustainable.”
So it’s not too difficult to predict the future. Folks visiting the Rocksprings property will inevitably venture to neighboring properties (like the Alpenhof or the Brewery) to stash their vehicles.
“We don’t have a parking lot attendant,” said Schaubmayer. “Unfortunately, that’s something we’ll likely have to set up.”
While both Schaubmayers expressed support for the project, they were a bit dismayed by the visions they see in their crystal ball.
Planning Commissioners were in universal agreement. They also said that their hands were tied. Because it’s their job to assess the project based on the rules in place – versus assessing whether those rules are adequate.
As Commissioner Jessica Kennedy said, developers work for months based upon the town guidelines so it’s too late to make changes to those guidelines on the dais at the last minute.
And as Commission Chair Michael Vanderhurst observed, in regard to the Limelight’s affordable housing requirement, “The in-lieu fee [what the Limelight paid as a development impact fee for housing mitigation] was a bit of a joke.”
Ending the meeting on a positive note, Commissioner Eckert said of the project, “This is light years better than its predecessor. I hope no one comes before us again wanting to stack boxcars [on top of each other].”
