Posted on 02/18/2005 6:25:35 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - One of the largest land conservation deals in California history became final Friday when the state and two private groups closed escrow on a $95 million agreement to preserve the nearly pristine stretch of coastal rangeland that surrounds Hearst Castle.
Nearly all the 82,000-acre Hearst Ranch about 200 miles north of Los Angeles will remain undeveloped, while 13 miles of coastline that has been privately held for generations will transfer to the state for public access, according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office.
"The landscape and the coastline will remain pristine," said Nita Vail, executive director of California Rangeland Trust, one of two conservation groups that helped secure the deal.
The ranch, purchased in 1865 by the father of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, is the largest privately owned working cattle ranch remaining on the California coast, according to the American Land Conservancy, the other conservation group involved. It's where Hearst built the unfinished dream home, Hearst Castle, that his heirs gave to the state in 1958 and is now a state park.
The state paid the Hearst Corp. $80 million in cash and $15 million in tax credits. In exchange, Hearst gave the state 13 miles of beaches and agreed to ban development on nearly all the ranch; it retains the right to build a 100-room inn, 27 homes and 15 employee housing units, and can use 3,600 acres for orchards, vineyards and row crops.
"With this agreement, we have demonstrated what can be done when people are committed to the land and the resources here at the ranch," Hearst's great-grandson, Stephen T. Hearst, said in a statement.
The difference between the fair market price of the property, which the governor's office said was $230 million, and the amount agreed upon in the deal was counted as a charitable donation to the state by Hearst.
Critics say the state paid too much.
"We were very disappointed that the deal was made because we thought it was a raw deal for the public," said Peter Douglas, executive director of the California Coastal Commission, which regulates coastal development.
Douglas said the deal lacks mechanisms to enforce limits on ranch land development, and that it does not greatly improve public access to the coast because of use restrictions.
"It's an opportunity lost, and it's an opportunity gained," Douglas said. "We just have to be vigilant now over the next many years to make sure the deal that the public was promised is in fact delivered."
Hearst Castle is a blast......been there 3 times and on all the tours....anyone wanting a cool 3 day vacation couldn't do much worse than visiting San Simeon.......never saw anything as interesting in the US and maybe Europe for the craftsmanship......
it takes 3 days to tour it? I would like to go see it.
Wow, remember how Arnold said our state had a "spending problem"? Where does he get the gonads to spend the money even faster then Gray Davis did? What a hypocrite. He tries to convince us that the state is in grave danger due to overspending then proceeds to overspend. What bull$hit.
fyi
Where else can you negotiate, gentle, sweeping, 120mph turns while watching a herd of elephant seals sleeping along the beach, power slide through hairpin turns, covered by gravel yet protected from falling rocks by steel netting and gaze upon an angry surf more than 1000 feet beneath your car down a shear cliff face.
Not a bad place to take a putt if you're interested in cruisin' and enjoyin' the scenery either. You can actually enjoy some of the country smells and changes in the microclimates between 45 and the posted 55 mph speed limit.
Careful of some of those corners, unless that bike sprouts wings.
This is beautiful country. About a dozen miles over the hills is the epicenter of the 6.5 quake of fifteen months ago. It took down some buildings and a couple lives in Paso Robles. If you've been to Napa Valley and felt like there was too much traffic and too many people then visit the Paso Robles - Templeton vineyards and count your lucky stars.
Looking in the opposite direction, still beautiful country.
That's not a biggie! Been through worse around here.
Now, in San Francisco it may be a bit of a problem, but not a disaster. However, virtually anywhere east of here it would be a real disaster. You haven't had the constant shaking to weed out the flimsy buildings.
Shucks, we don't even wake up until it gets to about 4.5 or so! Less than a 5.5 we go back to sleep. (Now, that 7.1--that did get our attention!)
Saw an 18 wheeler go down the hill on the first hairpin going north on 101 from Ragged Point. Poor sucker was coming down from SF and almost had it made. He and his buddy survived, but it took a couple of hours to extricate them. Held up traffic all the way down to sea level.
Most beautiful country in the USA, far as I'm concerned. $80 mil is a bargain.
Leftism is all about jealousy. If a leftist can't buy a nice coastal ranch on their government paycheck then they'll make it so that no one else can either.
I understand what you're saying, but I respectfully disagree. A dollar value cannot really be placed on such a wonderful piece of nature. This is among the most beautiful spots in the United States, in my opinion, and is remarkably unspoiled. It is a wonderful rest and inspiration for the soul, and it's in a state that needs this kind of thing more than ever. The Hearst Castle area is an invaluable reminder, also, of what I call the old California before the pressures of overdevelopment and excessive immigration took their toll. All native Californians 40 and older will, or should, understand what I mean by "old California." This area, much like the area around the Reagan Ranch further south, IS old California.
The high price, if that's what it is, is more than worth it. Man did not create this treasure, and man cannot restore it if it's lost to the almighty dollar. My only concern would be if there aren't sufficient restrictions on development.
120 mph on Highway 1. Yuck. You are a menace to the public safety.
If history is any guide, the bureaucrats will ruin that ranch.
I haven't been thru that area in 20 years or more, there wasn't a lot in that area.. after this 'deal' is done, I can only imagine how it will end up looking.
We went through last October, the day before the big rainstorm. It was perfect. The Hearst Castle itself is getting a bit disheveled, and wasn't as tastefully crafted as I recalled, but then I guess that forty years of life would have that effect on my vision. It's a lot of concrete. The grounds need a lot of work.</p>
That's in the curves. Speeds above 150mph are easily achievable on two straightaways south of Lucia.
You are a menace to the public safety.
US citizens have one predictable habit no matter their location in the world. They don't rise early on Sunday mornings. It's our national heritage. No public, therefore no public safety menace.
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