Mono Lake Committee responds to subdivision
proposal featured in local paper
The article is reprinted here with permission from the Mammoth Times.
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The August 28 real estate section of the local Mammoth Times newspaper (781K PDF file, reprinted with permission) carried a lead story about a 24-unit subdivision planned at the west edge of Mono Lake. While the "La Ventana" subdivision was extremely well presented, it does not actually exist, and the Committee has received many calls of concern about the project. Below is the Mono Lake Committee's letter to the editor in response to the article.
August 29, 2003
Wally Hoffman
Mammoth Times
Mammoth Lakes, California
Via FAX & email
Dear Editor,
The Labor Day issue of the Real Estate Times features a 24-unit subdivision development proposed for the western edge of Mono Lake. As many readers know, the Congressionally-designated Scenic Area that surrounds Mono Lake prohibits property subdivisions, so I read the article with great interest.
I was intrigued to read that “many” of the Mono Lake Committee’s supporters are interested in homes in this subdivision. The Committee has 15,000 members, so that sounds like a lot of interest, but I suspect the information missing from the article will dampen the interest of our members and all friends of Mono Lake alike.
First, the article neglected to mention that the property is in the National Forest Scenic Area, where subdivision is prohibited. A call to Forest Supervisor Jeff Bailey confirmed that the proposal does not conform to the guidelines, making it subject to condemnation if subdivided—not a great way to start off a development.
Second, the article claimed that environmental studies have been completed. That’s interesting, as there has been no public involvement in them. A call to the Mono County Planning Department confirmed that, while a proposal has been filed, no subdivision has occurred and an Environmental Impact Report is barely off the ground.
Third, and very important to Mono County residents, this property is currently part of a win-win land exchange discussion that would permanently protect the Mono Lake property and free up land for the much-needed expansion of the Mammoth Hospital. Indeed, just two weeks ago the Mono County Supervisors unanimously called on the Forest Service to complete an appraisal so the trade could go forward.
I suspect that many people will agree with me that protecting the land and expanding the hospital, rather than creating a subdivision of “high price tag” homes, is the direction that best benefits scenic Mono Lake and our local community.
Sincerely,
Geoffrey McQuilkin
Co-Executive Director
Mono Lake Committee
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