Long Valley

GOAL 23. Maintain the rural residential character of the Long Valley communities (i.e., Long Valley, McGee Creek, Crowley Lake/Hilton Creek, Aspen Springs, and Sunny Slopes) in a manner that provides for commercial uses to serve community needs, and that protects the area's visual, recreational, and natural resources.

Objective 23.A.

Provide appropriate public infrastructure and service capability expansion to support development, public safety, and quality of life.

Policy 23.A.1. Prioritize maintenance and improvement of existing County facilities before building new facilities.

Policy 23.A.2. Future development should coincide with infrastructure and service capability and expansion.

Action 23.A.2.a. Require development projects to obtain "will-serve" letters from applicable service agencies.

Action 23.A.2.b. Evaluate the cumulative impact of all new development on public services, public facilities and the environment.

Action 23.A.2.c. For areas not served by a water system, future development projects shall be required to demonstrate, prior to permit issuance, that sufficient water exists to serve both domestic and fire flow needs of the development and that use of that water will not deplete or degrade water supplies on adjacent properties, or adversely impact water supplies for natural resources.

Policy 23.A.3. Support improvements to local service infrastructure such as water, sewer, telecommunications, and electricity.

Action 23.A.3.a. Study the feasibility and desirability of consolidating services, consistent with LAFCO recommendations in the Long Valley area.

Action 23.A.3.b. Study the feasibility and desirability of developing a community water system for the Crowley Lake/Hilton Creek area.

Action 23.A.3.c. Work with the community and the Long Valley Fire Protection District to assess the feasibility and local support for a satellite fire station in the Sunny Slopes area.

Policy 23.A.4. Coordinate closely with County Service Area 1 in programming capital improvements and facilitating community input.

Action 23.A.4.a. Participate in the development of the County Service Area 1 10-year plan via the Long Valley RPAC (Regional Planning Advisory Committee).

Action 23.A.4.b. Periodically review and assist in updating and implementing the County Service Area 1 10-year plan.

Policy 23.A.5. Support the expansion and promotion of recycling programs, and encourage the inclusion of recycling services in new development and local businesses.

Action 23.A.5.a. Inventory existing recycling opportunities and identify opportunities where recycling programs could be expanded.

Action 23.A.5.b. Ensure ongoing compliance with the California Building Code requirements for diverting construction wastes from landfills and using recycled construction material for all projects.

Action 23.A.5.c. Coordinate County programs with local businesses to expand recycling services.

Objective 23.B.

Maintain, protect and enhance the quality and livability of community areas.

Policy 23.B.1. Preserve and enhance existing single-family residential uses.

Action 23.B.1.a. Future residential development in community areas shall have a minimum lot size of 15,000 sq. ft. except for areas adjacent to existing development with lot sizes of 7,500-10,000 square feet, where the minimum lot size may be 10,000 square feet if individual septic disposal systems are not required.

Action 23.B.1.b. Provide adequate private open space in all residential areas and developments.

Action 23.B.1.c. Require higher-density residential development to be compatible with the surrounding area and to provide sufficient open space.

Policy 23.B.2. A mix of land uses (e.g., commercial and residential) may be allowed provided they do not adversely affect the rural residential character of the surrounding area.

Action 23.B.2.a. Require adequate buffering (e.g., landscaping, physical barriers) to protect residential areas from non-residential, incompatible land uses.

Action 23.B.2.b. Encourage the development of higher-density development within walking distance of the commercial area in Crowley Lake/Hilton Creek.

Objective 23.C.

Provide for commercial development that supplies the local community with convenient and necessary goods and services.

Policy 23.C.1. Provide adequate land for existing and future commercial needs.

Action 23.C.1.a Designate a sufficient amount of land to accommodate tourist and community commercial needs.

Action 23.C.1.b. Cluster commercial development near the Crowley Lake Community Center in order to create a commercial core area ("village center").

Policy 23.C.2. Promote improvements in community commercial areas to increase their attractiveness and to rejuvenate existing commercial uses.

Action 23.C.2.a. Commercial development should follow county Design Guidelines and comply with the applicable development standards.

Policy 23.C.3. Encourage the development of professional uses (e.g., clinic, doctor's office, law office, day care) and other small-scale commercial services to provide for the needs of residents.

Policy 23.C.4. Support the continuation of home occupations (as defined in the Mono County Land Development Regulations).

Policy 23.C.5. Promote communication infrastructure that supports commercial uses and expands home-based business opportunities.

Action 23.C.5.a. Support the efforts of Digital 395 to improve the availability of broadband.

Action 23.C.5.b. Encourage Internet service providers to bring high-speed Internet into the area by pursuing available funding opportunities.

Action 23.C.5.c. Consistent with the Mono County Communications Chapter, when feasible, incorporate conduit into the design phase of applicable projects for future communications infrastructure uses.

Objective 23.D.

Provide for light industrial uses that supply the community with convenient and necessary services (e.g., material and equipment storage, wood lots, automotive repair).

Policy 23.D.1. Permit development of clean small-scale light industrial uses that provide local year-round employment, serve local needs tending to make the area industrially self-sufficient, and are environmentally compatible to the area.

Action 23.D.1.a. Designate a sufficient amount of land to accommodate light industrial needs.

Action 23.D.1.b. Pursue the acquisition of suitable public land for the remote placement of incompatible industrial uses.

Objective 23.E.

Provide for recreational and open-space uses in and around the Long Valley planning area.

Policy 23.E.1. Ensure the preservation of open space in the planning area.

Action 23.E.1.a. Require in-filling of areas designated for residential, commercial, and industrial uses prior to allowing conversion of agricultural land or public open space.

Action 23.E.1.b. Designate lands owned by the LADWP for open space or public facilities use (e.g., fire station).

Policy 23.E.2. Discourage the extension of public and private facilities, especially roads, into open space or agricultural land.

Policy 23.E.3. Maintain and increase recreational uses and activities in all seasons.

Action 23.E.3.a. Support increased all-season recreational use of Long Valley.

Action 23.E.3.b. Consider feasibility and desirability of a regional trail network, including a multi-use trail from Long Valley to Mammoth Lakes and around Crowley Lake.

Action 23.E.3.c. Explore and identify potential missing links between existing trails within and outside each community to connect points of interest.

Action 23.E.3.d. In cooperation with the LADWP, encourage recreational development at Crowley Lake, including development of winter use ski trails, a winter campground/trailer park, water-skiing, sailing, and concessions.

Action 23.E.3.e. Assist in planning for public recreational uses and amenities identified as priorities in the 2013 Long Valley Community Survey, including hiking trails, picnic areas, and cross country ski/snowshoe trails.

Action 23.E.3.f. Each park is encouraged to provide a multiple recreational setting with input from the service area population as to facilities, activities and design.

Action 23.E.3.g. Continue to promote multiple use of Whitmore Park/Track in response to regional needs.

Action 23.E.3.h. Work with the community to assess potential alignments and funding sources for development of a multi-use path/trail system throughout the area and along County roads.

Action 23.E.3.i. When applicable, consider implementing user fees to contribute to covering the cost of providing and maintaining such facilities e.g., an ice rink.

Policy 23.E.4. Ensure that recreational facilities are compatible with adjacent land uses, the maintenance of environmental quality, and the protection of property rights.

Action 23.E.4.a. Require all new development proposals to provide public access and rights of way to public open space, in conformance to the provisions of the Subdivision Map Act.

Objective 23.F.

Promote complementary and compatible uses of adjoining BLM, USFS, and LADWP lands.

Policy 23.F.1. This systematic, prioritized land ownership adjustment policy discourages the development of isolated and remote private parcels, private parcels subject to public safety hazards, and private parcels indispensable to sound natural resource management; minimizes long-term County and Special District service costs; provides for the enhancement of public safety; encourages acquisition of public lands for public facility and private uses; and is founded on a “willing-seller” basis.

Action 23.F.1.a. Private parcels identified for acquisition by public agencies in the Collaborative Planning Team (CPT) Community Issues Final Report (2000) because of their remote, isolated or hazard-prone locations should be considered for trade to public agencies consistent with Mono County land ownership adjustment policies.

Action 23.F.1.b. Support the expansion of the County Park, currently located on Mammoth Unified School District land, onto adjacent BLM land for expanded community activities and recreation.

Action 23.F.1.c. Unless new information becomes available or circumstances change, the following landownership adjustments have been discussed and withdrawn from consideration and action: transfer of Lower Rock Creek Tract and Whiskey Creek Tract into private ownership, relocation of the County Road Shop to the Tom’s Place area, and expansion of a light industrial area. Consideration of the privatization of the Southern California Edison (SCE) substation near Tom’s Place is dependent upon action by SCE (see Landownership Adjustment Report in the Appendix).

Action 23.F.1.d. Where existing commercial facilities are on public land, such as Tom’s Place Resort, every effort should be made to encourage the owners of the facilities to acquire the land.

Action 23.F.1.e. Where existing clusters of residential buildings are on public lands, such as Pine Glade Tract, every effort should be made to encourage the owners of the buildings to acquire the land, where doing so would be consistent with USFS and BLM policies. Care should be taken to ensure that private parcels are contiguous to one another and do not create isolated enclaves of either public or private land.

Action 23.F.1.f. For resource management purposes, consider supporting the acquisition of the isolated parcel to the east of Pine Glade/Sunny Slopes by the USFS or Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Action 23.F.1.g. Support opportunities to enhance services for public safety, including cell tower location(s) in the Long Valley area and provisions for fire services near the Mammoth Yosemite Airport.