Land deal could pave way for new 10-mile trail
By: Beth Winegarner
Examiner Staff Writer
January 29, 2009
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| Seaward bound: A new trail soon may run through the Purisima Creek Redwoods. (Juan Carlos Pometta Betancourt/Special to The Examiner) |
SAN MATEO COUNTY — A $10 million deal may make way for a vast swath of protected open space — and a new trail from the San Mateo County ridges to the open ocean — on 1,300 acres west of the Purisima Creek Redwoods.
The deal could kick off this spring, if the University of California regents agree to sell the Elkus Ranch, 450 acres of rugged hillsides to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The district is also hatching plans to acquire three adjacent parcels, 240 to 340 acres each, containing farms, ranches and plenty of undeveloped land, according to Sandy Sommer, real-estate manager for the district.
Ultimately, the project could lead to a “Purisima to the Sea” trail, where hikers could trek across some 10 miles of coastal bluffs, through canyons and past the Purisima and Lobitos Creeks.
Cobbling the land together could cost $10 million to $12 million, half of which the district hopes to gather through grants from the Coastal Conservancy and similar agencies. On each parcel, existing farms and other properties would remain in operation, including the popular 4-H ranch run by the regents, Sommer said.
Although a completed deal could be some years away, district leaders are optimistic.
“The regents have shown this upland portion of their property as surplus and have gotten motivated by the idea of selling it,” Sommer said.
Roughly 534 acres were donated to the University of California in 1976, while another 93 acres were put in the regents’ hands in 1988, according to Trey Davis, real-estate spokesman for the regents. If it sells the surplus piece, UC would retain 177 acres for 4-H programs for San Mateo and San Francisco youth.
If negotiations go well, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Board would vote on the deal sometime in March, spokeswoman Leigh Ann Maze said.
Two of the three other parcels being eyed by the district include open space owned by the Peninsula Open Space Trust, and the third was purchased by a rancher who agreed to dedicate nonagricultural parts of his property to a public agency, according to Sommer.
Trail plans will have to wait until all the pieces are in place.
“The details will have to be planned out with public input,” Sommer said. “It’s going to be a long time before there’s an open trail.”
The right path
Details of the “Purisima to the Sea” plan:
- Purchase of 450-acre upper portion of Elkus Ranch property, owned by UC regents
- Purchase of 250-acre portion of land owned by Giusti family, which operates Purisima Farms
- Purchase of two Peninsula Open Space Trust properties, 260-acre Blue Brush Canyon and 340-acre Lobitos Ridge property
- Total: 1,300 acres
- Estimated cost: $10 million to $12 million
Source: Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
