Thanks for the Memory

Bob Hope has performed a service of timeless value by deciding to transfer 5,700 acres of his mountain property for expanded public recreation use. Under a conditional agreement, Hope would donate some of the acreage and sell the balance at a below-market price, a generous and responsible act.

The agreement hangs on a condition that raises troubling precedents, however. The plan depends on the willingness of the federal government to swap a 59-acre segment of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for 864 acres in the adjacent Jordan Ranch, owned by Hope. The land exchange would provide necessary road access for a golf course and housing planned by a company that optioned the land from Hope.

The proposed residential development has been substantially downscaled by the developer, but it continues to stir opposition among some conservation groups. And the issue of swapping park land may run into congressional opposition.

The contested development lies in Ventura County, and it is the officials of that county who must ultimately decide whether it is appropriate and, if so, how many houses would fit the county’s master plan. The National Park Service has indicated that it will await the county’s decisions before deciding on the land swap. So it should.

Most of the acreage in the proposed transfer lies in the Santa Susana Mountains outside the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Some choice sites would be added to the recreation area, including 200 acres in Corral Canyon at Malibu, and the plan could well free money for other important acquisitions, notably the 248-acre Soka University site.

All told, the Hope transfer holds much promise for the preservation of open space accessible to urban areas.