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By Miriam Raftery
November 29, 2016 (Campo)- If you’ve got a hankering to own a 2,160 acre cattle ranch, you may want to mosey on out to rural Campo and saddle up to see the Star Ranch. The large property is on the market—and the owner is willing to consider offers on any of nine parcels separately or together. (View offering proposal).
A 455-unit housing development has been proposed on the site, drawing opposition from some neighbors concerned about impacts on groundwater supplies, traffic and loss of rural character. Now the owner has put the site on the market-- and is giving neighbors the first opportunity to purchase all or part of the sprawling rural property.
“Significant studies have been completed on the Star Ranch and a Draft EIR showing 455 residential lots could be ready for public review within a few months,” Dave Landes, vice president at Land Advisors Organization, California Division, said in an e-mail sent to ECM. “I am sending this out to the neighbors to give them a chance to put together a competitive bid for the property if they are interested in preserving the property.”
Asked why the property is on the market, Landes replied, “The current ownership is from out-of-town and they don’t have the time to manage the process from afar.”
Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Group, speculated challenges in meeting environmental requirements.“Green house gas emissions are hard to meet for a remote master planned community,” she said, adding, “Drought impacts on wells may also be a factor.”
Billie Jo Jannen, chair of the Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group, says she wishes a buyer would "revitalize the wetlands south of 94 and make it a wetland learning center."
The property is open space zoned as semi-rural residential in the Campo area near the Mexican border along state route 94,adjacent to Cleveland National Forest and near the Lake Morena reservoir.
The seller prefers an all-cash, quick close escrow for all or part of the property. Offers in the form of letters of intent can be submitted to:
Land Advisors Organization
Attn: David Landes
2890 Pio Pico Drive, Suite 200, Carlsbad CA 92008
Tel: 858.692.8626 │ Fax: 949-852-8108
Email: dlandes@landadvisors.com
Comments
Backcountry Land Trust wants to buy it: Feb. 27 hearing
of the Campo Lake Morena Planning Group, George Barnett with the BCLT will give a presentation. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the Campo Community Center.
"..some neighbors concerned.."
How about a vast majority of neighbors concerned? I have a feeling they are selling because they are loosing the battle to get their housing track built. Good job Campo!
I have a bad feeling about
I have a bad feeling about this. Ideally it would be added to the forest or established as its own preserve, but the odds of that seem remote.