Orange Unified Sets Sights on Rest of Barham Ranch

Orange Unified School District will offer to buy the half of Barham Ranch it does not already own, trustees decided Thursday, then negotiate with Orange County to swap the land for sites where new schools can be built.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer proposed last month that the county pay $4 million for the 525-acre property, co-owned by the school district and Serrano Water District, and preserve it as a wilderness area. The school board’s plan, which would include the city of Orange in the negotiations, would aim for the same goal but would be more complicated, drawing some criticism.

“I’m not happy, because I’m pretty sure the water district was willing to sell their interest” to the county, said Shirley Grindle, an advocate for preserving the popular recreation area. “They are just making it more difficult for the county to make it a regional park.”

The water district’s board voted unanimously Dec. 29 to begin negotiations with the county to sell its share of Barham Ranch, which borders Santiago Oaks, Weir Canyon and Irvine regional parks. Officials said they were caught off-guard by the school district’s decision Thursday.

David Noyes, the water district’s general manager, said, “It’s kind of a surprise. We have to digest what they said tonight.”

The water district’s trustees will meet at 8:30 a.m. today, he said, to consider their next move and still may negotiate with the county.

Environmentalists and residents have mobilized to preserve Barham Ranch since the water district began talks two years ago with SunCal Cos., an Anaheim-based developer that proposed 600 homes on the land. After learning of Spitzer’s plan last month, SunCal officials withdrew.

About 170 residents attended Thursday’s meeting to show support for Spitzer’s proposal, as did several local officials, among them Spitzer, Villa Park Mayor Robert E. McGowan, and Orange City Council members Michael Alvarez and Dan Slater.

If either district agrees to sell its stake, the county Board of Supervisors and the State Department of Parks & Recreation would have to approve the purchase.