On Thursday, the Peninsula Open Area Belief, a Palo Alto-based environmental group, introduced it had bought practically the entire remaining land at Sargent Ranch, an unlimited property south of Gilroy alongside Freeway 101 the place Southern California traders sparked a 10-year controversy after proposing to construct a sand-and-gravel quarry.
The acquisition, from a gaggle of San Diego traders referred to as Sargent Ranch Companions LLC, was the third piece of property on the ranch that the land belief has purchased since 2024. Altogether, it paid $63.7 million for six,114 acres and has an possibility to purchase the ultimate 480 acres later this yr as soon as 15 oil wells there are plugged and cleaned up.
The land belief shot the aerial footage proven right here with a drone in early January. The group is in discussions with the Amah Mutsun tribal band, who’re descendants of Ohlone individuals who lived within the space and who contemplate the property sacred, together with the Santa Clara County Parks Division and different teams to plan subsequent steps, together with who will personal it, what degree of public entry will likely be allowed and the way will probably be maintained.
One of many largest remaining items of undeveloped personal property in Santa Clara County, the ranch is house to mountain lions, bald eagles and steelhead trout. Throughout the late 1800s, there was a railroad depot, cottages, a lodge, a put up workplace, a saloon and an open-air dance flooring close to the ranch. Over the previous 30 years, varied homeowners have tried to construct subdivisions, golf programs, and a on line casino there, encountering public and political opposition every time.
Plans for a sand and gravel quarry on the location are actually useless. It will likely be preserved as open house in perpetuity, in keeping with the land belief.
