MEINERS OAKS : Developer May Sell Land to Park Group

A developer who has waged a five-year battle to develop Besant Meadow in Meiners Oaks may sell the property to a land conservancy if he loses his legal bid to build on the land.

The conservancy has mounted a hurried campaign to buy the property to preserve its wetlands and create a public park.

“Meiners Oaks is one of the largest urban areas in the county without a park,” resident Robert Unruhe said.

“If we could preserve this as a wildlife habitat, the whole valley would benefit,” he said.

John J. Schuck of Franciscan West Developments in Santa Barbara has asked the Besant Meadow Preservation Group to make a bid on his 25-acre parcel if he loses his battle with the county to build 50 residences.

Schuck recently petitioned the state Supreme Court to appeal county growth controls that impose costly measures on his development plan.

The court has yet to say if it will hear his case.

Encouraged by Schuck’s recent interest in selling the land, 20 members of the nonprofit conservancy met Wednesday to form several fund-raising committees, said Richard Handley, a science teacher who is conservancy president.

The citizens group organized five years ago to oppose Schuck’s earlier attempt to build 150 condominiums on the site.

Now with a five-member board of directors and mailing list of 200 names, it has obtained nonprofit status and is working with the Santa Barbara Land Trust to orchestrate a drive for grants and donations.

Two recent $100 donations brought the group’s treasury to $500, but the purchase price could be $1 million or more, members said.

Handley said the first step in the process will be to obtain an appraisal of the land’s value.

The conservancy envisions restoring the wetland stream running through the meadow, establishing a bird refuge and creating a park-like village commons along Lomita Avenue, said member Michael Krumpschmidt, who is a social science teacher at Matilija Junior High School.