East Bay park district expands preserve
DANVILLE >> The East Bay Regional Park District announced it will accept the fee title and operate the 390 acres of the Magee Ranch Preserve’s open space — if Danville voters approve the contested Measure Y housing proposal on March 3.
The park district made the announcement Monday as part of agreement with the landowner and developer, which had been discussed dating back to years before the ballot measure, according to a district official. The district is hoping to expand Sycamore Valley Open Space Preserve in Danville as part of the Magee Ranch Preserve development plan. Fee title purchases are voluntary transactions between a landowner and a purchaser, which is the park district in this case.
“Since 1998, the park district has been acquiring land to create Sycamore Valley Open Space Preserve, a gorgeous publicly accessible Danville park stitched together by land dedications from six different housing developers over the years,” said EBRPD General Manager Robert Doyle in a statement. “With the additional 390 acres, Sycamore Valley Open Space will reach a total of 1,085 acres with over 3.5 miles of new trails of beautiful vistas of Mount Diablo and the Tassajara Valley.
“We’re very excited to add these new acres which will help to complete Sycamore Valley Open Space Preserve,” Doyle’s statement continued.
Carol Johnson, EBRPD assistant general manager of public affairs, said in an email that the district “will receive the donation of acres by the landowner as part of the Magee Preserve project only if Measure Y is approved on March 3.
“We felt compelled to go on record and reassure the Danville community of EBRPD’s commitment to accept this important Magee land donation and maintain into perpetuity for public access,” Johnson continued in her email.
According to Johnson, the park district has been “engaged since 2010 with the Town of Danville and the prospective developers of the Magee property to amend their development footprint to preserve maximum open space, including ridge lines and connections to Sycamore Valley Regional Preserve. We have discussed a number of scenarios that would result in dedicated permanent public access through the portion of the property proposed to remain as open space.
“Two years ago and prior to Measure Y, Magee developer (Davidon Homes) asked if the park district would accept a dedication of open space expanding public trails access at Sycamore Valley Open Space,” Johnson continued. “The detail of the dedication and access was worked out in 2019 and presented to EBRPD Board by staff where they offered their full support. Given the uncertainty over the project with Measure Y, formal real estate transactions are pending.”