Land Trust Buys Sargent Ranch Land for $23 Million

Santa Clara County’s Sargent Ranch has been saved from being turned into a controversial sand and gravel quarry.

The Palo Alto-based Peninsula Open Space Trust purchased 2,284 acres of the rural property south of Gilroy for $23 million, putting the kibosh on the most recent proposal to turn the location into a mining site, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The nonprofit plans to permanently conserve the land, which includes the planned quarry site and other land that had been set aside for development.

Peninsula Open Space Trust grows its holdings at Sargent Ranch with the latest purchase. In May, the nonprofit purchased 2,490 acres of land at the ranch. The previous October, the trust bought the adjacent 1,340-acre Pescadero Ranch, which was previously part of the Sargent Ranch. Peninsula Open Space Trust made the latest acquisition with financial help from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and other unnamed donors. The nonprofit now owns 6,114 acres of the 6,500-acre ranch and is in contract to buy the remaining acreage later this year.

Sargent Ranch Partners LLC, an investor group led by San Diego businessman Howard Justus that previously owned the land, sought to develop a 403-acre mining operation at the ranch to extract 38 million tons of sand and gravel over 30 years. The proposal faced fierce backlash from locals out of concern for noise, congestion and damage to the landscape. The developer hasn’t officially killed its quarry plan, though the sale of the property is likely the end of that endeavor. Owners also had floated various commercial ventures at the location, including hotels, golf courses and a casino.

The region’s Native American community, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, helped lead efforts to stop development on the land, which they call Juristac. The group has expressed interest in owning and managing portions of the site. The Amah Mutsun’s land trust recently acquired 50 acres south of Sargent Ranch.

— Chris Malone Méndez