Mammoth Vicinity

  1. Preservation of visual resources, especially in the US 395 viewshed, is a key concern. US 395 from the Benton Crossing Road to the intersection with SR 203 is a state-designated scenic highway. The visual corridor along US 395 has been identified in both the county General Plan and the Inyo National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan as an important viewshed for the traveling public.
  2. There is opportunity for the Town and the County to work together on regional waste management issues, including landfill closure.
  3. Water management activities to meet demand for the town of Mammoth Lakes has the potential to impact land resources and values in the unincorporated county. However, according to the Mammoth Community Water District’s 2010 Urban Water Management Plan, the potential future supply of imported groundwater from the Dry Creek watershed was not included because the project is not financially feasible and an out-of-basin future supply is no longer indicated.
  4. There is very little privately owned land in the Mammoth Vicinity Plan area. Significant parcels of private land occur along Hot Creek and in the valley west of Crowley Lake. The LADWP owns large parcels of land in the Casa Diablo/Hot Creek area, at the Whitmore recreational area, and adjacent to Crowley Lake.
  5. The Mammoth Yosemite Airport Land Use Plan (ALUP) established a comprehensive land use plan that defines the type and pattern of future development on private and public lands in the Airport Land Use Planning Area, and is scheduled for an update. The plan was prepared jointly by the Airport Land Use Commission and the Inyo National Forest, and is more specific than either the county General Plan or the Inyo National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
  6. The Mono Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) has adopted a sphere of influence for the Town that is coterminous with the existing Town boundaries, and the County previously transferred ownership of the airport to the Town.
  7. The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Base Exchange in progress has the potential to affect/impact unincorporated lands, depending on the lands included in the exchange and the proposed development.