With major public projects in Mammoth like a new police station and a roof for the ice rink waiting for developer fees to balance the books, town officials may yet find the light at the end of the budget tunnel in the Ritz Carlton condo/hotel project.
Now clear of an appeal by the Advocates for Mammoth, Cypress Equities plans to move forward with the Ritz-Carlton project in June. Nicole Brooks with the Cypress Sales office in Mammoth reports that the company plans to finalize the permit process by June with the hopes of having the parking garage and dirt work done by the time the snow flies.

The Ritz had faced a challenge to the process by which the Town accepted $5.5 million dollars to build affordable housing elsewhere in Mammoth, rather than on site at the Ritz property. Three out of five planning commissioners approved of the deal as did four out of five town council members. Even the Advocates weren’t against the merits of the deal, just what they saw as a lack of public process by which the deal was made.

If the Hillside-Ritz project moves forward, it will be another big change for the Village area. The project would also be a significant budget boost for the town. Earlier this year the town put a stop on projects like the new police station and the proposed roof for the ice rink until developer fees picked up.

The land for the proposed police station has already been bought. If the Ritz pulls permits and pays developer fees, Town Manager Rob Clark explained that it will be up to the council to decide to pay for specific projects.

In the meantime, Cypress staff is taking reservations for units in the proposed Ritz Carlton project, with the plan to start selling the units in May.