ACCESS SUCCESS
This article was published in the October 18, 2025 edition.
Eastern Sierra Community Housing (ESCH) celebrated the completion of its newest affordable housing project Tuesday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting and open house.
The Access Apartments development adds 13 long-term rental units for residents earning up to 80% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), a group often overlooked by traditional affordable housing programs, according to Mammoth Mayor Chris Bubser.
“The biggest heartburn for our council […] is trying to help the folks for whom there are not many state and federal grants,” she said. “This means much more than 13 units.”
According to a September 8 ESCH board presentation, rents will range from $1,250 for an 80% AMI studio (17% below market rate) to $2,000 for a 120% AMI one-bedroom (5% below market rate). Prices vary depending on size, number of closets, and windows.
At the time of that presentation, 55 people were already on the waitlist, including 43 in the 80% AMI category and 12 in the 120% AMI group. Tenants were selected through a lottery later that week.
The project has been years in the making. When ESCH purchased the property in October 2017, Executive Director Patricia Robertson was still on maternity leave. On Tuesday, her 6-year-old son wandered through the building.
ESCH acquired the land after receiving a partial donation from the Alper family, founders and owners of Mammoth Country Glass.
At the ceremony, the building was dedicated to the late Gordon Alper, who passed away in 2015 after 37 years of public service in Mammoth, including on the Town Council, the Mammoth Community Water District Board, and as a Lions Club member.
“Gordon saw Mammoth as a place of possibilities: a town where anyone could find footing, chase a dream, or start something new,” said his widow, Sharon Alper, at the event with tears in her eyes. “When a friend asked him where he might want to live, he didn’t hesitate. Nowhere is better than Mammoth.”
Turning that vision into reality wasn’t easy.
ESCH first applied for state grant funding in 2019, but the award didn’t come through until 2021. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, driving up construction costs and delaying progress. The project cycled through revised plans and funding challenges, at one point relying on ten separate funding sources, each with its own requirements.
To keep the effort alive, ESCH launched a $190,000 community fundraising campaign, supplementing federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Section 4 funds that covered roughly 65% of the project’s $11 million cost. Additional support came from the Town of Mammoth Lakes and Mono County.
Then, “Out of the blue, the state called us and said, ‘We want to give you $4 million more for the project. We have extra money, but you have to commit it by the end of the fiscal year,’” said Nolan Bobroff, the town’s economic development director.
That call came in June 2024, giving the planners just a week to allocate funds. The unexpected funding allowed ESCH to eliminate a loan and include units at the 120% AMI level.
A month later, Access Apartments finally broke ground.
