COUNCIL TALKS SDA
Nolan Bobroff, Mammoth Lakes Community Development Director, presented an update and discussion on the timeline for the Snowcreek Development Agreement (SDA) Amendment at the Mammoth Lakes Town Council Meeting on Wednesday.
The deadline to the original agreement had been July, 2030, but it appears destined to terminate early because construction of the hotel and (expanded) golf course hasn’t happened.
That moves the deadline up to July, 2025.
If the SDA expires, the developer can still build the planned hotel and golf course, but the Town won’t get promised benefits, and the developer (Chuck Lande and Chadmar Group)might face changes to the project plans.
Because the SDA might end soon, the developer wants to extend it for another 20 years.
“There’s a lot of confusion as to what was promised or agreed upon back in 2010 and now we’re actually at the stage of implementing the project” Bobroff. “It creates a lot of uncertainty with what [the developer] is required to do and what the town is in place to receive.”
To address this confusion, Bobroff outlined a series of meetings to discuss the SDA amendment and allow for public comment.
The first meeting will be held this month as a workshop with the Town Council to discuss the current SDA and the parameters of the amendment.
Following that meeting, the town plans to engage with an outside consultant who specializes in development agreements to identify “gaps or loopholes,” Bobroff said. After four to six weeks, they will hold a meeting with the consultant and make adjustments as necessary.
“We’re not asking the consultant to negotiate new elements to the deal, just solidify what’s being proposed,” Bobroff said
In November, Mammoth Lakes Town Council and the Mammoth Lakes Planning & Economic Development Commission (PEDC) will hold a joint meeting to discuss the results of the consultant analysis and proposed amendments. They have not yet set a date for this meeting.
There will then be two public hearings, one held in December by the Mammoth Lakes PEDC and one held in January by the Mammoth Lakes Town Council. The dates for these hearings are also yet to be determined.
“The community is going to care a lot about this project, but sometimes they don’t engage until it’s too late,” Mammoth Lakes Councilmember Chris Bubser said. “Once it’s done, it’s done.”
Bobroff also gave an update on the Mammoth Lakes “Housing Now!” Program, where he announced that the first unit in the Lease to Locals program has been leased, and that plans for the third phase of the Parcel are in the works.
Lawson Reif gave a presentation to the Council on alternatives proposed by the National Park Service on the reservation system for Yosemite, and recommended they support alternative D, which separates Yosemite Valley from the rest of the park and only requires reservations for that area.
The National Park Service (NPS) recommends alternative B, which is the current reservation model and requires people to make reservations to visit anywhere in the park.
“When I first saw the proposals, I couldn’t understand why [NPS] chose B except that staying closed is easier than staying open,” Mayor Bill Sauser said.
The council unanimously agreed with Reif’s recommendation and authorized Town Manager Rob Patterson to provide a letter of public comment to the Park Service.
Councilmember Sarah Rea worked in Yosemite for eight years, she said. She felt it was wrong to gatekeep Yosemite through the reservation system from people who don’t have access to the internet, and so she preferred alternative D because it allows people to access at least some of the park.
In the drafted letter, Reif identified some unintended consequences of alternatives B and C, which both require reservations to access the entire park.
“[This alternative] does not address negative effects on nearby communities or public lands and many people illegally camp in these areas so they can get up early and access the Park before 5 a.m.,” he stated in the document.
On the other hand, some locals also game the reservation system and restrict access to the park from other visitors, Councilmember John Wentworth said.
Councilmember Amanda Rice said she was excited about alternative D but unsure whether the NPS would actually implement the necessary infrastructure to enforce it.
The Sheet reported on the different proposed alternatives in last week’s issue, published September 12.
