NOT ALL HOORAYS FOR A REVISED SDA
Mammoth Lakes Planning and Economic Development Commission held a workshop Wednesday regarding the proposed revision to 2010’s Snowcreek Development Agreement.
And the reaction from the general public is what one might expect.
A split between those who believe the revised SDA will be a boon for Mammoth, and those who believe the town is getting snookered, because, well, when is the town ever NOT getting snookered?
Developer Chuck Lande thinks the revised SDA is fairly balanced.
In fact, he said, “On our side, there are folks who think we gave too much away.”
But longtime Mammoth local and former Mammoth Councilman Greg Newbry has a different view.
“This is the largest project in the history of Mammoth Lakes,” he began. “1,000 units. Any other resort would have hired a high-powered consultant [to broker a deal of this magnitude],” he said.
Mammoth? We did it in-house.
Newbry said given Mammoth’s history of hubris and irresponsibility (see the 2008 airport lawsuit, the invisible Village parking structure which was never built, et. al.), he’s nervous.
Newbry specifically asked PEDC Chair Michael Vanderhurst to confirm that when all is said and done, the decision on the SDA would “referendable.”
Yes, replied Vanderhurst. Newbry, however, wasn’t wholly accurate in his assertion that the DA analysis was done entirely in-house.
The agenda packet did include a Community Benefits Analysis performed by consultant Keyser Marston Associates, which determined the value of the community benefit package at $51 million.
The project will also include 47 units of on-site deed-restricted housing for households within the 150-200% AMI (Area Median Income) threshold.
This is the “missing middle” segment the politicians like to flap their gums about, but rarely serve.
The revised SDA would also guarantee operation of the existing nine-hole golf course for the life of the SDA (a 20-year extension through 2045).
The lifeline for the golf course was at least one thing folks could agree on, though Newbry snarked, “Aside from the golf course, we’re not getting a whole lot out of it [the DA extension].”
During public comment, Tom Daniels suggested that there needs to be a higher standard for the expected condition of the course.
Right now, he said, there’s no equipment, no maintenance shed, limited carts. “The golf course needs money spent on it and soon,” declared Daniels. “We need to nail down [the terms] of course conditions before we accept this.”
If the revised DA is approved, one casualty would be the par five first hole, which would have to be re-aligned and shortened because of how the project lays out.
The workshop was largely held for the benefit of the three new PEDC commissioners (Dawn Verueck, Cynthia Fleming and Lana Grand), who are expected to vote on the revised SDA at PEDC’s next meeting in September.
*By the way, 150-200% of AMI would cover a family of four making an annual household income of between $160,000-212,000.
Speaking of snark, here’s a note I received this week from Sharon Clark.
“When I read (August 10 Sheet, page 1) that TOT (room tax) revenue was about 7% down from 2022-2023 and that the MLT (Mammoth Lakes Tourism) Board had given John Urdi a 3% raise, I was dumbfounded. I asked my husband Malcolm, who is better at math than I am, ‘What am I missing’? ‘Nothing’, he replied, ‘If TOT were down 10%, the MLT Board would have given Urdi a 5% raise.’”
A late letter to include from Karen Roseme of Bishop:
Dear Editor,
Our son came to visit us in Mammoth this summer. I told him about a couple of near misses that I had had on the bike path going up to Twin Lakes. I also told him about an emergency room trip I had last summer in which I asked the ER doctor what were the worst accidents he saw in the ER. The doctor said the worst accidents were from the bike path, not skiing or snowboarding or the bike park.
Our son who lives in Long Beach said all bike paths there have a line painted down the middle of the path. We think this could help remind riders and walkers to stay on their side of the bike path. A few arrows could help too.
Regarding State Superintendent of School Instruction Tony Thurmond’s visit to Mammoth on Thursday, he said Stacey Adler has been trying to recruit him to visit for the past six years, or pretty much ever since he assumed his current position in 2019.
Thurmond, who displayed a quick wit and a ton of charisma, was one of four children raised by an educator and single mother.
He met his father, a Vietnam vet, when he was 40.
He said he was the product of a host of government programs [and included a long and humorous description of what it’s like to eat ‘government cheese’], and that education is the great equalizer that changed his life.
One of the initiatives he’s pushing is for school distroicts to use surplus land they own to build workforce housing for teachers and staff.
Which is exactly what Mammoth Unified is pushing locally in its bond measure this fall.
According to an Associated Press story this week, “Thurmond has pledged financial incentives for districts that pass bonds to build staff housing, and the Department of Education is sponsoring a workshop for district officials to learn the ins-and-outs of real estate development.
His move comes on the heels of a report from UC Berkeley and UCLA that found school districts in California own 75,000 acres of developable land, enough to build 2.3 million housing units — which could wipe out the state’s housing shortage.
It also follows the Teacher Housing Act of 2016, which allows school districts to pursue funding sources for housing projects, including state and federal tax credits.”
Aside from Adler, who has served as Mono County’s superintendent since 2010 (and whom Thurmond says has been instrumental in helping him understand the needs of rural counties), Thurmond’s other local connection is through the CHP offiver who serves as his full-time driver. That would be Randy Paranick, son of a former Mono County Sheriff and a proud graduate of the MHS Class of 1993.
A photo of Thurmond (running for governor in 2026) and Adler appears on page 12. Adler is retiring from her post at the end of this month.
And finally, Mammoth Rocks Event Co-Director Mark Deeds reminds that the event is next weekend.
The closer on Friday night will be Fooz Fighters, Winner of Jimmy Fallon’s network TV Series “Clash of The Cover Bands” (Episode 5) and overall Season 1 finalist on E! Entertainment.
Saturday’s closer will be Journey Revisited! Back for a third time by popular demand, the band will play all the hits.
This end-of-the-summer festival favorite promises to be a feast for your senses! Admission is FREE.
