WHY DID MAMMOTH CROSS THE ROAD?

What does the Mammoth Village need more of? 

If the first thing that came to mind was luxury hotels and homes, you’re in luck. 

Developer New Course Enterprises unveiled early plans Wednesday evening for Mammoth Crossing, a three-site high-end hotel and residential complex at the intersection of Lake Mary Road, Minaret Road, and Canyon Boulevard, to the Mammoth Lakes Town Council.

If built as designed, the project would replace the current Mammoth Brewing Company site with a full-service resort featuring pools, spa facilities, restaurants, a ballroom, and meeting space, with most parking buried below ground. Across the street, luxury for-sale residences would rise under the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott brands, reshaping one of the most visible gateways into North Village.

“The sites really do form an opportunity to create something very special,” said John Ashworth, Principal at Bull Stockwell Allen Architects. “The crossing itself implies a gateway, and we’ve tried to make sure we’re addressing important elements for the town.” 

The JW Marriott Resort would feature 196 guest rooms arranged in sculptural, terraced buildings designed to echo the surrounding mountains. Architects drew inspiration from Devil’s Postpile in the design’s cascading and towering stone walls.

Visitors would enter through a grand porte-cochère before heading into underground parking. The resort is designed with three levels of hidden parking, keeping cars out of view and preserving a pedestrian-friendly streetscape. 

Inside, the building houses a spa, treatment facilities, a wellness room, a fitness center, dining area, and a “curated retail” shop. Ashworth championed a 26,000-square-foot conference center, which includes a 6,000-square-foot ballroom, as a major new asset to the community.

“We see this as a really important benefit to the town, helping to fill in shoulder seasons and create a real anchor for this development that will also, hopefully, be very beneficial in terms of the town and activity throughout the four seasons,” he said.

Across the street from the resort, the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton branded residential units are connected by a pedestrian bridge, which would be open to the public for crossing the street. Mammoth Brewing Company would be relocated to a new structure adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton residences.

The development would include about 100 public parking spaces, in addition to parking for hotel guests and residents.

The project revives a development vision for the site that collapsed during the Great Recession. Bobby Laughlin, founder and chief executive director of New Course Enterprises, loosely alluded to this while introducing the project.

“We’ve never started a project and not finished one,” he said.

As a result of the original Mammoth Crossing plans, there are a number of zoning requirements grandfathered into this development. 

The 2009 Environmental Impact report created alongside the initial project envisioned a mix of lodging, residences, and retail, all organized around pedestrian-friendly streets and public plazas.

That approval relied on community benefits, including public parking, a mix of affordable and market-rate housing, recreational amenities, and a boost to North Village’s resort character to outweigh unavoidable impacts such as noise, air quality, and aesthetics. 

“We recognize that the town has its priorities, it has its needs, and we want you to know that we’re committed to meeting those needs and priorities,” the developer’s lawyer, Mark Carney, reassured the room.

The developers were very clear on their intent to create public parking, green spaces and sidewalks, but conveniently left out any discussion of building affordable housing. 

Still, the development is in its infancy and is subject to change. The proposal is in the concept review phase, meaning no approvals have been granted. 

But if it advances, Mammoth Crossing would represent one of the most significant private investments in the Village area since its original buildout, further cementing Mammoth’s pivot toward nationally branded, high-end hospitality.

“I don’t have a whole lot to add at this point, and I hope staff is not expecting the council to be offering a whole lot at this point, because this is the first time we’ve seen this,” Council member John Wentworth said when it came time for the Council to deliberate.

Despite a full room, there were no public comments on the matter.