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Council looks at Old Mammoth Place |
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Saturday, 24 October 2009 |
By Catherine Billey
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
James Demetriades hopes to bring beauty balanced with functionality to his future mixed-used development at Old Mammoth Place, and he thinks that despite the recession, investing in Mammoth is a good thing.
But just what shape that beauty will take and how that functionality will play out depends on the types of community benefits chosen by the town, which are offered in exchange for discretionary development incentives.
In a presentation for town council on Oct. 21, Demetriades said one benefit could be to create the first property in Mammoth to produce the same amount of electricity it consumes, which could be done by tapping into geothermal sources on the site.
He selected an architectural firm for the development, BSA Architects of San Francisco, that specializes in “green” building and has a track record in California snow country.
“We are looking at a very high level of environmental stewardship, relative to the site,” said architect John Ashworth.
A new connector road is proposed for the north side of the project, which would take traffic away from Sierra Nevada Road, while project components are oriented to the south to take advantage of views toward the Sherwins from the series of proposed public spaces and possible rooftop restaurants.
A portal at the corner of Old Mammoth and Sierra Nevada roads has been created at the site of an old grove of pines that will invite people in. A “river terrace” might also flow through the project, where kids could play in summer months. Other amenities include a seasonal ice rink, conference space, spa, and a festival market commons catering to locals and visitors alike.
But when it came time for council to provide non-binding input, there was surprisingly little of it. Community Development Director Mark Wardlaw asked council to provide focused discussion on the worthiness of the amenities being suggested, and avoid discussion of building design, which is the purview of the Planning Commission.
“I was a little disappointed that we didn’t give more specific direction as an entire council about how we’d like to see community benefits applied to this project,” said Council member Wendy Sugimura on Thursday.
Non-binding input is intended to give the developer and Planning Commission a sense of what council is looking for.
Sugimura said she would prefer to see certain amenities taken away (a choice could be made between a spa or a conference center, for example), in order to improve the overall design. In particular, the hotel at the center of it could be reduced from the maximum height of 55 feet and benefit from articulation.
Discussion to date has centered on making re-engergizing the 6.1 acre site into a vibrant four-season destination location for both locals and visitors, and create strong pedestrian connections to surrounding neighborhoods.
John Walter of the Advocates questions whether it will ever be built.
“I think you’ve just been given a really good sales pitch tonight,” he said. “But are you going to buy into this concept? Weigh in and tell the developer if his approach is going to be acceptable – or will there be messy appeals?”
Walter considered the council commentary too meager. “I think community amenities are a big deal, and council should have weighed in more than they did,” he later said.
A model of the proposed development will be available for public viewing in the lobby of the Sierra Nevada Inn.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 31 October 2009 )
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