SAN LUIS OBISPO — This county's highest elected body took the unusual step Tuesday of endorsing a deal to preserve the Hearst Ranch, even though the deal isn't done yet.
The Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 0 to support the framework of an agreement between the Hearst Corp. and the American Land Conservancy that would save the 82,000-acre ranch from development and keep much of it in agriculture.
Supervisor Shirley Bianchi, who offered the motion, said this is the best deal the Hearsts have ever offered on their land. "I have fought this corporation for 23 years," she said, noting that at one time the Hearsts intended to build a resort city of 60,000 with its own airport on the property.
The current framework would block any resort at famed Point San Simeon. It would also open 18 miles of beachfront to the public. In return, the Hearsts are requesting permission to build 27 homes in the ranch interior for family heirs. They are also asking for between $100 million and $150 million.
Bianchi admitted negotiations are not finished. But she said it was important for political reasons that the board take a stand now. The money needed to pay off the Hearsts will have to come in large part from state bond measures such as Proposition 50, the water quality initiative passed in November that also provides for coastal wetlands protection. Decision-makers in Sacramento are said to be carving up those funds among projects throughout the state.
"Right now in Sacramento, all sorts of people are lobbying for this money," said Kara Blakeslee, a lead negotiator for the American Land Conservancy.
Even though the Hearst Ranch is recognized worldwide, not only for the furnishings and architecture at Hearst Castle but for the unspoiled beauty of its seascapes, more populous areas of the state have more clout in the corridors of power.
"We have to send a message to Sacramento that we are united behind this project," Blakeslee said.
There may have been a second reason to get the board on record: to help squelch the rumbles of dissent coming from some environmentalists who want to push Hearst harder for concessions.
If that was the case, it seemed to have worked. Most of the environmentalists who showed up Tuesday appeared to agree that after decades of conflict, the Hearsts have offered something too good to turn down. "We feel the proposed framework concept is a win-win for everyone," said Bill Allen of the North Coast Alliance, which has been a longtime participant in the Hearst wars.
