ECO DOME OWNER PRESENTS REVISED PROJECT TO CONCERNED RESIDENTS
ECO DOME OWNER PRESENTS REVISED PROJECT TO CONCERNED RESIDENTS
The community of Landers expresses concerns despite scaled-back project
This is a part of our coverage of commercial resort and camping development proposals in residential zoning in the Morongo Basin. Twentynine Palms continues to be impacted by similar proposals. Yonder has submitted a pre-application for its 130-cabin development in Indian Cove and is actively lobbying local businesses. The City’s Planning Department is writing regulations that would allow Hipcamp-style camping rentals on unbuilt parcels in rural living residential zoning. - Editor
At a sometimes-contentious meeting at the Landers Community Center Tuesday, January 9, Calvin and Adriana Clark, creators of the proposed off-grid Eco Dome campground near the Integratron, addressed a group of about 50 concerned locals.
The couple discussed recent changes to their plans in response to community concerns, describing the current measures put in place to stave off potential issues.
The project consists of six steel-tube domes with covers designed to withstand the desert’s harsh winds, a large center communal dome, and a solar panel-covered parking lot with eight parking spaces. The domes would be hooked up to water provided by the Bighorn Desert View Water Agency, and septic tanks will accommodate flushing toilets. A graywater system would be used to water landscaping, and dark sky-friendly lighting would be installed throughout the project.
The site would accommodate as many as six guests and two dogs per dome for a total of 36 guests and 12 dogs across the six planned domes.
A biological survey showed no endangered wildlife on the 2.5 acre parcel, and the Clarks plan to have another survey done 14 days before construction begins. A few neighbors refuted this finding, saying they often see desert tortoises and their burrows in the area (the travel range for a desert tortoise is one to two miles).
Responding to community feedback after the last meeting on October 30, the Clarks cut back the project’s scope by eliminating the gas-powered backup generator, jacuzzis, a pool, firepits, and all outdoor game amenities. The central communal dome might also be on the chopping block in response to complaints the structure would be an eyesore blocking the view toward Goat Mountain.
The Clarks’ plan is to have a manager on-site to check in each guest, a minimum booking age of 25, and no group camping. The manager will be local but will not live on-site.
Despite the changes and assurances, many community members remained unconvinced that the Eco Dome site would not cause problems. Residents said the sound of conversation carries as much as a half mile away, and the headlights from guests going in and out of the area could interfere with stargazing and local astronomers. Neighbors also raised concerns about guests wandering and trespassing in what seems to them like an open desert landscape.
Nancy Karl, one of the owners of the Integratron, said she stopped allowing overnight guests when it became clear people were not acting responsibly:
“People check-in, and then the property manager leaves, and it’s party time....People come to the desert to trip their brains out, and it puts us at huge risk.”
The Clarks are far from being the deep-pocket companies trying to push through large desert glamping projects in other areas of the Morongo Basin, but like those developers, they are learning that desert dwellers are very protective of their rural lifestyle.
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