Land Sale Will Benefit County Park System

A strawberry field could turn into a gold mine for bankrupt Orange County’s regional parks.

The county hopes to sell the 30-acre field it owns in Orange for more than $10 million.

The state requires the funds be spent on parks, so the county is considering using the money to buy nearly 700 acres of oak-studded wilderness in Trabuco Canyon and unincorporated Orange County to add to its regional park system, officials said.

“There is no doubt this is one of the highest priorities, acquiring this property,” Orange County Supervisor Don Saltarelli said. “It would really be terrific.”

While a deal is still in the preliminary stages, the county is looking at purchasing about 130 acres across the street from the entrance to O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon, Saltarelli said.

The county is also eyeing the sprawling 545-acre Barham Ranch, which is between Santiago Oaks and Irvine regional parks and is owned by the Orange Unified School District and the Serrano Irrigation District. If the purchases are successful, the land would be absorbed into the nearby parks, Saltarelli said.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is expected to select a buyer for its strawberry field at its board meeting Tuesday. The county received nearly 20 different proposals, which were narrowed down by county staff to the five highest, which offered from $8 million to just more than $10 million. Irvine-based Polygon Communities Inc. is the highest bidder, officials said.

The surplus land is in Orange off Hewes Street and Villa Park Road and was once considered a likely spot for a park, officials said. It was purchased in the mid-1970s using state funds that can only be spent on parks. The sale must ultimately be approved by the state and the proceeds must be rededicated to parks, officials said.

“We have no choice,” Saltarelli said. “That’s what we have to spend the money on or give it back.”

A park on the Orange site has been rejected by many residents in the area who fear noise, traffic and other potential annoyances that a park can bring. As a result, the county began looking for potential buyers who would develop the land in accordance with residents’ wishes.

Environmentalists are thrilled at the possibility of protecting hundreds of acres from bulldozers.

Zoning allows the Trabuco Canyon site to be turned into a development for more than 30 homes. But nature lovers want the shady, scenic spot to stay just the way it is, with towering oaks, sage-covered hillsides, an equestrian trail and a creek.

“It is really a beautiful piece of land, and we’d hate to see it developed,” said Ray Chandos, an officer with the Rural Canyon Conservation Fund, dedicated to preserving area canyons. “It would be great if this land could become part of the park system.”

Officials with the Orange Unified School District are expected to soon discuss the possibility of the Barham Ranch acquisition with the county, Orange Mayor Joanne Coontz said.

Saltarelli cautioned that parkland purchases are still in the fledgling stages. But he said one thing is certain: “We are going to purchase open space.”

Times correspondent Julie Fate Sullivan contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Landing a Deal

Orange County hopes to sell a 30- parcel of surplus land in Orange for more than $10 million. Supervisor Don Saltarelli wants to use the proceeds- which are restricted and can only be spent on parks- to buy the 545- acre Barham Ranch between Santiago Oaks and Irvine regional parks and more than 130 acres of Trabuco Canyon wilderness next to O’Neill Regional Park. The land would be added to the county’s regional park system.