He Buys Out the Problem : Mayor Eastwood Solves Another Thorny Issue

Mission Ranch, an old dairy farm converted into a bed-and-breakfast resort, had been a thorny political problem in traditionalist little Carmel ever since its owners proposed to build 61 town houses on the site.

Hackles were raised, lawsuits filed and political fortunes raised and lost over such sticky ranch-related issues as the preservation of local heritage, protection of wetlands and prevention of even more traffic congestion.

Finally, Carmel’s millionaire mayor, actor Clint Eastwood, had had enough.

He settled the issues himself this week--decisively and finally--in a way most other politicians can only dream of.

He bought the place himself.

Other politicians may solve a political problem by throwing money at it, but few, if any, have ever offered to throw their own money.

A purchase price was not immediately disclosed, but the landowners had been asking $5.5 million.

Eastwood, who was elected in a landslide last April on a platform offering conciliation between warring pro- and anti-growth political camps, said he was purchasing the property through one of his film companies, Tehama Productions Inc., in order to preserve its semi-rural nature.

Eastwood was not available for comment Thursday, but he told the local weekly newspaper, the Carmel Pine Cone, “I think the majority of people in Carmel would like it to remain the same. Hopefully, it can be a place where people can come back in 20 years and it will still be here.”

When Mission Ranch Corp. first proposed its development, it raised a storm of protest from environmentalists keen to preserve the natural wetlands there, no-growth advocates worried about congestion and preservationists dedicated to retaining what remains of the area’s rural nature.

At one point, the city sued Mission Ranch Corp. to block development, and the issue became an important point of contention between Eastwood and former Mayor Charlotte Townsend during the election last April. The suit was one of several that Eastwood ordered dropped after his victory.

The previous owner, Mission Ranch Corp., had recently been asking $5.5 million for the entire 20-acre site just south of Carmel. Mission Ranch Corp. had rejected an earlier offer by the city of $3.75 million.

Scope of Transaction

The sale, expected to close escrow in January, includes not only the 8.25 acres once targeted for the town house project, but also the existing bed-and-breakfast resort, including a bar and restaurant, inn, cottages, tennis courts and barn.

Eastwood said the entire property will be kept as it is now, except for the installation of modern plumbing and electrical wiring.

“Maybe the world doesn’t allow you to keep things the same,” the mild-mannered mayor told the Pine Cone, “but we can try.”

Local people on both sides of the issue were enthusiastic over Eastwood’s checkbook compromise.

“We’re still reeling from the ecstasy of obtaining it,” said Helen Wilson of the preservationist group Carmel Heritage.

“We have never dealt with anyone who was more of a gentleman, more sincere . . . (and) easier to get along with than the mayor,” said Doug Tuck, a Mission Ranch Corp. partner.

Newspaper Approves

The move also was lavishly applauded by the Carmel Pine Cone, whose publisher, Bill Brown, was named by the mayor to the local Planning Commission several months ago.

“Christmas came early for Carmel this year and the one wearing Santa’s red hat is none other than that old softie Clint Eastwood,” wrote Managing Editor Mac McDonald in a signed editorial.

He later concluded: “There may be a few Scrooges and skeptics out there who doubt his motives, but we believe Carmel owes a huge debt of gratitude to Clint Eastwood, mayor and a true citizen of Carmel-by-the-Sea.”

Eastwood, who began his conciliation campaign soon after taking office by voting with his allies on the City Council to drop several lawsuits the city was pressing against local developers and landowners, originally hoped to persuade private investors to buy and preserve Mission Ranch.

He said he heard from plenty of people willing to buy the property, but no one who could afford to preserve its current character. “It (preservation) is not what an investment counselor would say to fly into,” he noted.

Selling Himself

But the more he tried to sell others on the idea, he added, Eastwood found he actually was selling himself on it. “Since my interest in the community is more than an outsider,” he told the Pine Cone, “it became practical for me to do it.”

Eastwood was unsure whether the city will now renew its $3.75-million offer to buy the property.