At a groundbreaking ceremony at the site last month Evan Russell, CEO of the Mammoth Lakes Foundation, breathed a sigh of relief, as the project, which has been planned since September 1999, finally got under way.
Phase one is approximately 24,000 square feet and will include the first student housing building as well as an administrative facility. Phase one is expected to cost $8.5 million (quite an increase from the $2 million bid of1999), and has been greatly helped along by a donation of $3 million by Dave McCoy, as well as other numerous donations and efforts. According to Russell, MLF has commitments for all the money needed.

Digging in with golden shovels at a recent groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of student housing at Mammoth?s Cerro Coso campus are (l-r) Mammoth Lakes Town Councilman Kirk Stapp, Dave McCoy, architect Bruce Woodward, Director of Mammoth and Bishop campuses Deanna Campbell, President of Cerro Coso Community College Dr. Mary Retterer, and MLF CEO Evan Russell. Photo by Lara Kirkner

Until all 35 rooms are full of rent-paying students, however, MLF will also be responsible for paying for the upkeep and bills associated with the rooms. Russell was not sure of the exact cost, but was basing some estimates on Mammoth Mountain Ski Area’s housing complex, the Chutes, which are similar in size to the student housing rooms that will be 250-by-450 square feet.
MLF’s goal is to create 500 beds of student housing over the next 20 years, but at the same time Cerro Coso College needs to obtain more students to make that a viable dream. Right now Cerro Coso has 100-150 students according to the FTES (full-time equivalent students) number, the total number of students taking classes at Cerro Coso in Mammoth, however, is 250.
“The premise of the South Gateway is 1,000 students,” Russell said.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, McCoy urged those involved in the college, as well as the community at large, to step up the pace of building up the college.
“Otherwise, you will only have the rich people living here and there will be no one to run the ski area,” McCoy pointed out.
Cox Construction, the company that recently built the new fire station on Main Street, will build the dorms, and the MLF plans to move its offices into the site in order to keep an eye on what’s going on, according to Russell. It will also probably help to cut costs.
There is already one kid on the waiting list, according to Russell.
“His parents want him to go to school here, but they don’t want him living in their house,” he said to the crowd of about 50 at last week’s ceremony.
The MLF will launch a marketing program for the housing soon and eventually, when the demand rises, housing will only be for full-time students taking 12 or more units. The rent for the rooms has not yet been determined.
Parking for the complex is on hold at this point while MLF redesigns it. Initially an underground parking structure was supposed to be built but costs for that would be too high for MLF to finance. Surface parking will be designated soon and until then, MLF has a license agreement with the college to use their campus parking up until the time that the second housing building is constructed.
Another benefit to the housing will be the walking trail between the dorm and the new library. According to Russell the college donated $3.7 million to the construction of the new library, and one of the conditions was that the library build a walking trail from campus to the library site.
The housing sits on the land known as the South Gateway Parcel, which is designated as IP land by the Town and can only provide student and faculty housing at this time. MLF has designated 10 acres for the student housing and hopes to, some day in the future, work with the Town to create a new specific plan for another portion of the land to build housing for middle class, middle income level residents.
Russell tried to get the zoning changed during the General Plan Update discussions, but found that there were too many other things being discussed and decided to back out and just build the student housing for now, and work on changing zoning on other portions of the parcel later.
This first phase of student housing broke ground on June 4 and the contractor hopes to complete it by fall 2008. The units will be fully furnished with private baths, convenience kitchens and televisions. There will be a laundry facility on each floor. An exercise/fitness room, outdoor barbecue and bocce court are all planned for the development.