Resilient Mammoth Lakes

Resilient Mammoth Lakes Project Summary

The Resilient Mammoth Lakes project goals include addressing the safety and well-being of all aspects of Mammoth Lakes as well as identifying housing challenges and policies the Town can implement to maintain a strong housing sector while improving affordability and equity. The project is comprised of three individual components that share similar schedules and result in updates to the Town’s General Plan.   The Town contracted with PlaceWorks, Inc., to partner with staff on completing the three primary work efforts with the intent that greater coordination on related project components would result in cohesive General Plan Updates that could be completed within the required time frame. The primary project components are described below:

Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Strategies (SB1 Adaptation Planning Grant):

Caltrans awarded the Town an Adaptation Planning Grant funded through Senate Bill 1 (The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017) on December 15, 2017. The project will develop climate adaptation and resiliency strategies for the Town of Mammoth Lakes to inform a General Plan update and incorporate Senate Bill 379 requirements. The project partners include local stakeholders, Caltrans, and a Climate Change Action Team made up of local agencies and community representatives. A vulnerability assessment will be prepared and adaptation strategies will be developed. Adaptation goals, policies, and implementation measures will inform an update of the General Plan to reflect recommendations developed through the collaborative process.

Work Products:

• Draft General Plan Safety Element Update
• Vulnerability Assessment
• Draft Adaptation Strategy Recommendations  

Background Information:

• Caltrans Award Letter and Notice to Proceed
• Approved Scope of Work
• SB 379 Fact Sheet

2019-2027 Housing Element Update 

• 2019-2027 Draft Housing Element Update

The 2019-2027 Housing Element update is due to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) by June 2019. This current update will move the town to an 8-year housing element update cycle. Since the Town last updated its Housing Element, the Town and Mono County combined efforts to complete a housing needs assessment, which informed the Town’s Community Housing Action Plan; accepted by the Town Council in December 2017. The Community Housing Action Plan will be used to assist with identifying current needs and conditions. The Housing Element update will reevaluate Town policies and methods to meet the community’s regional housing needs, site inventory, and governmental and nongovernmental constraints to development, while addressing issues and establishing policies with respect to achieving the community’s housing-related goals and objectives.

The Town of Mammoth Lake’s Housing Element was last updated and adopted by Town Council on July 1, 2014, and is deemed to be in compliance with State Housing Element law by HCD.  State Housing Law dictates the required Housing Element update cycle which was a five year cycle, but has been changed to an eight year cycle, which will apply to the current update.

Safety Element Update Pursuant to SB 1241

The Safety Element of the General Plan must be updated to meet the legal requirements set out by Senate Bill 1241 and the timing of this required update must be coordinated with the Housing Element update. Work on this project component has already begun with assistance from a group of consultants who specialize in wildfire and land use planning. The Town was awarded a Planning Assistance Grant by the Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire team (CPAW), to prepare goals and policies related to wildfire hazards that the Town could then incorporate into its Safety Element to address SB 1241 requirements. The CPAW team concluded their work in the fall of 2018, and the Town may now choose to incorporate CPAW recommendations into the Safety Element of the General Plan.

• Draft General Plan Safety Element Update
• Final CPAW Recommendations
• SB 1241 

Resilient Mammoth Lakes Upcoming Public Meetings:

• TBD 

Resilient Mammoth Lakes Past Public Meetings and Outreach:

• May 8, 2019 - Planning and Economic Development Commission Meeting Announcement
• Town Council - April 17, 2019, Public Workshop Agenda and Recorded Meeting (Please fast                 forward approximately 3 minutes 40 seconds to view)
• PEDC Metting - April 10, 2019, Announcement of Public Review Period for the Draft General               Plan  Housing and Safety Element Updates
• Community Workshop - January 16, 2019, Community Workshop public outreach and                          presentation for the Resilient Mammoth Lakes project