Posted on 07/13/2021 11:56:50 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District recently expanded one of its oldest preserves.
The agency added 182.15 acres to the El Sereno Open Space Preserve that formerly belonged to the San Jose Water Company. The agency paid just over $1 million for the land, with funding from the California Wildlife Conservation Board.
El Sereno sits just south of Saratoga and west of Los Gatos in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It’s a public preserve, open to hikers, cyclists and horseback riders.
The district has owned El Sereno since 1975, and in that time has expanded the public green space to more than 1,600 acres.
Land acquisition is an important part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s mission. The agency aims to form a greenbelt, or protected natural space outside of the urban sprawl of the South Bay.
This acreage is an important puzzle piece, said Mike Williams, real property manager for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. It was largely surrounded by preserve land before the purchase, and the acquisition connects a 3.7-mile trail through the preserve.
“It is a property we’ve had our eye on ever since we bought the initial property that started the El Sereno Preserve,” Williams said.
For years, the water company held onto the land that had previously housed a small dam. The land hadn’t been used for public water in decades, so it was no longer being regulated by the Public Utility Commission.
When the district decided to buy the land, it needed some more time to secure funding, so the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) stepped in and purchased the land, later selling it to the district once they obtained grant funding.
“This expansion of El Sereno Preserve—one of Midpen’s oldest preserves—is an excellent example of how Midpen and POST have collaborated for
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
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I’ve hiked these trails (except for the short separate one), but not in six years. Pretty short trail. Mostly of interested due to the view from the mountain above Los Gatos.
Yet more land that will now not be taxed. Meaning existing property tax payers will need to pay more.
Since it belonged to a utility, I’m not sure it has been taxed.
Thanks. The water district of isolated “islands” of land inside a bigger open space can be a pain in the neck. Over at Sunol, the water company still owns land within the Sunol Wilderness and you need to get a permit from them to hike across their land — even when you have a permit from the Sunol Wilderness / EBRPD!
This was interesting...”Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) stepped in and purchased the land, later selling it to the district once they obtained grant funding.” POST effectively loaned the money to get early land acquisition then sold it to the district.
As undeveloped land, it probably had a low tax rate anyway.
The urban sprawl is horrible. This keeps some land out of the hands of the developers and makes the quality of life somewhat decent.
It’s very unlikely there would have been development there. From the 1950s to the 1970s they tried to do developments in spots like that, and it wouldn’t work. Things like the steep terrain and inability to get water etc. made it impossible. The Sierra Azul Open Space is on land that they want to make a development, but the project was never able to get off the ground.
That’s mainly what POST does. Buy land and spin it of into parks and open spaces.
That’s not even in the peninsula.
They have two properties South of Highway 17, including their largest, Sierra Azul Open Space, which foes quite a bit South of the peninsula.
I guess since they were first, they got to pick their area?
Interesting...I thought POST held onto it for perpetuity. I didn’t realize they mainly sell it off to park authorities.
Sierra Azul is really rugged territory. I’m surprised anybody would think that would a good development spot. Of course, there are some really nice developments on the north side.
It is rugged - a great place to hike - but your legs will feel it.
I’ve hiked up to the ridge line at Almaden Quicksilver many times, come in toward Sierra Azul from the west by the Lexington Quarry, done Mt. Umunhum once, and hiked St. Joseph’s Hill, but have never really gotten into the Sierra Azul region proper itself. All of that area tests the legs!
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