Article taken from the Santa
Barbara News Press
Published with permission
County advised to
sell Gaviota coast site
February 19, 2006 12:13 AM
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With an eye to saving money, the county Public Works Department is proposing to sell 140 acres of land and a home on the Baron Ranch, next to the Tajiguas Landfill.
The county purchased the 1,092-acre, $7.5 million ranch on the scenic Gaviota coast in 1990 to provide a buffer around the landfill and prevent future development there. An avocado and cherimoya operation on the ranch brings in $93,000 yearly to the coffers of Public Works -- but the county still owes $4.7 million for the land.
The debt payment -- about $795,000 per year -- comes out of the pockets of South Coast and Santa Ynez Valley residents through the dumping fees that are charged at the landfill, said Mark Schleich, Public Works deputy director.
"When you consider all the costs and revenues," he said, "the ranch operates at an annual loss."
Selling the 140-acre parcel surplus county land would achieve a good balance between fiscal policy and preserving as much of the Baron Ranch as possible in the public's interest, Mr. Schleich said.
The department's proposal will be heard by the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Although the parcel has not been appraised, officials are hopeful that the sale price will cancel out what the county owes for the ranch -- and then some.
If the county gets out from under its debt payment, it will be able to defer future increases in dumping fees as the landfill expansion gets under way, Mr. Schleich said. The expansion -- a long-term plan to fill an additional 40 acres at Tajiguas with trash -- is expected to cost the county $24 million.
If the board approves the Public Works proposal on Tuesday, the 140-acre parcel at the Baron Ranch could be on the market within six months, Mr. Schleich said.
The potential sale has generated both interest and concern among conservationist groups who seek to stave off urbanization in the rolling ranchland west of Goleta.
"It's a sad day when public property has to be sold into private ownership on the Gaviota coast," said Mike Lunsford, president of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy, a nonprofit group.
But if the sale of 140 acres at the Baron Ranch cannot be avoided, he said, the county should place deed restrictions on the property so that it cannot be subdivided for additional homes. The new owner should not be allowed to replace the small ranch house with a large estate plus guest house and barn, Mr. Lunsford said.
"Historically, the county has shown an interest in doing the right thing for the Gaviota coast," he said. "That commitment needs to be demonstrated here."
County officials say that they have no idea who might be interested in purchasing the land.
As part of the sale, officials say they would seek to retain a public right-of-way across the property for the purpose of building a coastal trail into Los Padres National Forest, connecting with West Camino Cielo on the ridgeline of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Trails groups have asked the county to set aside some of the money from any sale of ranchland to build the trail. For the Los Padres section alone -- about three miles -- the cost has been estimated at $100,000.
"Those are all welcome ideas," Mr. Schleich said. "If we got that far, I think it would be a good idea to use proceeds from the sale to help lead to the construction of that trail."