DEFINITELY OUTBOUND
Outbound Mammoth to unload units
Outbound Mammoth got the go-ahead from the Mammoth Lakes Planning and Economic Development Commission (PEDC) to convert their five recently-built fourplexes, (“villas”) into for-sale ownership units on Wednesday morning.
At the same meeting, Commissioner Greg Eckert announced his intent to resign from the board.
“Basically, my time is done here,” he started. “It’d be nice if we had more people step up; there are a whole lot of people out there in their 30s through 50s that should really get involved at some point in this government,” he concluded.
Eckert was the sole opposing vote on the motion for the second time in a row. The item was first heard, and “passed” 2-1 on December 11, but the vote was later discounted because state code states that five-person commissions need three votes to pass specific plan amendments.
Commissioners Lana Grand and Cynthia Fleming were absent for the December 11 vote, but Fleming recused herself because she is the expected listing real estate agent of the property.
As a result, at Wednesday’s revote, Fleming recused herself again and Grand was the deciding “yes” to allow Waterton, Outbound Mammoth’s parent company, to make the villas (20 units in total) available for sale.
The villas were built in accordance to an amended version of the Clearwater Specific Plan, originally conceptualized by Jim Demetriades, who took ownership of the site in 2008 with an ambitious project proposal, which included 340 hotel units, a retail shop, a restaurant space, workforce housing, and recreational amenities; but Demetriades didn’t have the funds to execute it.
Waterton bought the property in 2021 and built the villas soon after, in part to allow for development in line with the Clearwater Specific Plan “if and when market conditions allow,” slated as an “interim development” of the larger project. Waterton began renting the units in December 2023.
Waterton still has the opportunity to build 320 condo hotel units on the site in addition to the villas, but it hasn’t put money or plans forth to do so.
Eckert did not comment on his opposition in Wednesday’s meeting, but in the December meeting, called it a “stake in the heart” of the project’s original concept. He argued that selling these units could potentially hinder future development, legally locking up the villas (which are in the middle of the site).
“I think we’re really diluting ourselves as to what we’re actually doing,” he said in December.
Before that initial hearing, Tom Cage, owner of Kittredge Sports, submitted a comment criticizing the project as “a typical money grab.”
“Don’t let the town be hoodwinked by this proposal,” he wrote. “This is a DA that was to stay whole and not get divided into small pieces that will create a big problem while a developer leaves with a pile of profit from asking for forgiveness instead of permission.”
Town staff met with Cage on his comment later in December to “provide clarification on some of the concerns raised,” said Kimberly Cooke, Mammoth Lakes Senior Planner, on Wednesday. Cage was appreciative of the meeting, she added.
Garry Oye, owner at Sierra Manors Condominiums, submitted a public comment on February 9, also opposing the project.
“Currently the operation, upkeep & maintenance rests with one owner. Much easier to ensure compliance,” he said. “When you create 20 ownerships, it will become much more difficult to ensure compliance […] One person buys a unit, then rents the unit, and the requirements drift away.”
Oye was also concerned about traffic and congestion, but the 20 units were already accounted for, parking-wise, in the original DA.
And the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document found the traffic impacts for the Clearwater Specific Plan would “not result in a negative impact,” Cooke said.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the Commission accepted a three-year time extension request of the Terra Blanca project, which seeks to construct a twelve-unit multi-family residential townhome development at 3789 Main Street.
That’s the old La Sierra Restaurant property (now vacant) located in between MMSA affordable housing and the birdhouses.
The project was approved by the Commission on November 8, 2022, but the project has stalled since its inception. Among other problems, the project has struggled to find a contractor.
Peter Diebitsch of Terra Blanca LLC wrote a letter to town staff:
“The unexpected departure of our architect and a key partner has required significant adjustments to the projects’ management and design approach,” he wrote. “Additionally, we have faced unanticipated construction and design challenges, particularly with the cost of selected materials.”
Diebitsch attended the meeting remotely, and announced the company has a new architect on their team.
The requested three-year extension would just be for getting the tract map approved – not to start construction. As a compromise, Eckert suggested amending the resolution to allow for just one additional year, but Diebitsch was not happy with that suggestion.
“You’re just making it extremely difficult for us,” he said. “At least give us two years […] I would prefer three, of course.”
The amended motion was seconded by Grand, but it failed 3-2, with Eckert, Grand the only supporters.
Commissioner Vereuck made a follow-up motion as staff originally wrote, granting the three-year extension. That motion passed 3-2, with Vereuck, Vanderhurst and Fleming in support.
