A land development company from hundreds of miles away has purchased a historical parcel of land on a mountainside near Mono Lake and Lee Vining, California, and is proposing to develop a subdivision of large homes. This is located in a wilderness area with very little private land or development nearby -- the area is wilderness managed by the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and others. The developer, New Cities Land Company/New Cities Development Group, was scheduled to meet this week with the Mono County planning officials, who in recent years have made concessions to large external developers in other parts of the remote mountain county. The developer reportedly cancelled that meeting.

Some things to consider when evaluting the value of this property:

• The local community: Food, gas, friends, school, and support for services like water, fire, and roads must come from the residents of the area, who are the only ~600 people for approximately 20 miles in either direction. Many residents oppose this new idea of putting houses on this land. It is not clear yet whether any support it.
• Lack of emergency fire and medical services: The fire department in Lee Vining is volunteer and several miles away. County ambulances are stationed 11 miles farther away, which serve the hospital in Mammoth (38 miles).
• Avalanches: Happen every few years on parts of this mountainside, mostly just south of this property. The Caltrans road department closes Highway 395 several times each winter, depending on deep snowfall and conditions, to dynamite the mountainside.
<>Earthquakes: The most recent big one was a 5.5 (!) on September 18 (see news about this big quake), followed by a 3.0 on October 10. See the live US Geologic Survey earthquake web site for Mono Lake.

• Hunting on this land: Locals and weekend hunters from Los Angeles and elsewhere hunt all over this mountainside with rifles and shotguns. Recall the school teacher in nearby Mammoth that was shot by a hunter's stray bullet through a window several years ago.
• Historical public access rights: The roads on this property have been open to the public for enough years that the public will retain use rights by law.
• The narrow highway and safety: Caltrans just cancelled long standing plans to widen the narrow highway between this property and Lee Vining, Mammoth, and other places, because of tremendous opposition statewide generated by threats to the local environment.
  
• Water rights: On paper they may be clear, but the Mono Lake ruling in the California Supreme Court said a private interest cannot destroy the public trust, which cut off Los Angeles' supply from Mono Lake. This may set a precedent for other actions that could be denied even though they are on private property, because they destroy the local fragile ecosystem and the broader resources of the people of the state of California - i.e. action on private land still cannot destroy the public trust.
  

Any assessment of the value of development or houses on this land should probably take these factors into consideration.