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Back at the Hearst Ranch

Three years ago, a hard-won and convoluted agreement ended one of the most acrimonious land-use battles in California history. The deal ensured that almost all of the 82,000-acre Hearst Ranch on the San Luis Obispo County coast will remain undeveloped, its stunning views preserved forever, with 13 miles of the 18-mile shoreline transferred to California State Parks. Many facets of the agreement remain controversial, and it is by no means clear how--or if--they will be implemented. But one unambiguous fact anchors the accord: This nonpareil stretch of coast is now open to the public; average citizens will never again be excluded from its shores.

The ranch, of course, is best known for Hearst Castle, which commands a sublime view of the coastline from the summit that William Randolph Hearst dubbed La Cuesta Encantada. Built over a period of 30 years beginning in 1922 and donated to the State in 1957, it is one of California’s most popular tourist attractions, annually drawing millions of visitors to view the lavishly landscaped grounds, palatial edifices, and vast art collection that Hearst acquired from various European estates.

In many ways, the castle always has been ancillary to the huge ranch that envelops it--especially to Hearst’s heirs, who generally have viewed the property as an essential part of their patrimony. The family’s business arm, the Hearst Corporation, tried for many decades to turn the ranch into a significant profit center.

The initial vision was nothing if not grandiose. In 1965, the corporation proposed a development designed to ultimately top out at 60,000 residents and include an airport, college, and hospital. Despite bitter public opposition, that proposal was bruited about for years; county planners killed it in 1980.

Hearst came back with a different proposal, mostly focused on and around San Simeon and Ragged Points. It was tossed back and forth a couple of times between the board of supervisors and the Coastal Commission, reshaped and scaled down a bit, but failed to come to fruition.

The struggle over the future of the north county coast came to a head at the Coastal Commission hearing on January 15, 1998. At this point the Hearst proposal included a resort complex with three hotels, a convention center, blufftop golf course, dude ranch, restaurants, and shops. Hundreds of people packed the largest hall available in San Luis Obispo and spilled into the lobby. Most spoke in passionate opposition, though Hearst also had a well-organized crowd of supporters. The Commission rejected the Hearst plan, approving instead a scaled-back project that would allow 375 hotel rooms at San Simeon Point.

Open-space advocates remained firm in their opposition to any major development at the ranch, though, and in 2002 Steve Hearst, the head of the corporation’s land division, switched strategies. The corporation pitched the idea of a conservation easement, which would keep most of the ranch as open space in exchange for a cash payout and some development rights.

Out of that broad concept, fine-tuned over three years with the collaboration of various land conservation groups and agencies, an agreement ultimately was forged. Major points include:

• The State would pay Hearst $95 million in cash and tax credits in exchange for retiring development rights on 80,000 acres east of Highway 1 and protecting this land for agriculture and habitat by means of an easement.
• The corporation would retain the right to build a 100-room hotel at Old San Simeon Village, 15 employee homes at different sites, and 27 homes, each with a five-acre core site and a 20-acre buffer zone, east of Highway 1 and out of sight from the road. To exercise these rights, the corporation would have to secure the necessary permits.
• Hearst would donate 1,500 acres west of Highway 1, with 13 miles of shoreline, to the State, retaining 700 acres, with five miles of private beaches, at San Simeon Point, Ragged Point, and Pico Cove. An easement to protect scenic views would be placed on these properties and held by Caltrans. Public access to San Simeon Point would be limited to 100 people a day. At Ragged Point, guided walks for up to 20 people would be offered once a month.
• A contiguous 18-mile stretch of Coastal Trail would be allowed west of Highway 1.
• A section of Highway 1, roughly two miles long, would be moved east--in some spots several hundred feet inland--to prevent damage by coastal erosion. The acreage that would then be west of the road would be added to the state parkland.

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