4 Thursday, November 10, 2016
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Rancho Monte Alegre primed for auction BY LEA BOYD A 3,000-acre portion of the Carpinteria foothills will be auctioned by a luxury real estate firm on Dec. 7. Rancho Monte Alegre, which includes 17 buildable lots ranging in size from 40 to 150 acres each, is listed for $32 million and being sold to the highest bidder. The historic property begins near Foothill Road at Santa Monica Road and stretches all the way to the Los Padres National Forest. The effort to develop the ranch began in the late 1990s and has been a long, drawn-out and costly process. Current owner Garrison Investment Group of New York acquired the project in 2010, at the height of the recession, from Rancho Monte Alegre Partners. Extensive infrastructure construction has occurred in phases over the years, first by RMA Partners, then Garrison. Carpinteria Valley Water District annexed the property and built a groundwater storage tank on the ranch. Roads and a bridge over Santa Monica Creek have been built to access a handful of the developable lots. Progress on the development, however, has stalled in recent years. Purchased in the late 1800s by Joel Fithian and known for most of Carpinteria’s history as the Fithian Ranch, the property was sold to RMA Partners in the 1990s. The developers promptly met public resistance to extensive construction in the foothills. As a result, the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County worked with RMA Partners to create a 2,700-acre conservation easement, with specific areas set aside for agriculture and to preserve existing wilderness. The ranch is just outside city limits at 1820 Santa Monica Road. The land is private, and trespassing is illegal. Parcels are already designated with residential and agricultural envelopes, which would simplify the process of securing a residential building permit through Santa Barbara County. The Dec. 7 auction will be conducted by Concierge Auctions. The property will be auctioned without reserve, meaning there is no minimum bid.
Historic buildings in the lower reaches of the ranch, near Foothill Road, are now individually owned. The remainder of the development for sale includes 17 buildable lots.
Rancho Monte Alegre, located at Foothill and Santa Monica roads, was long known as the Fithian Ranch by Carpinterians.
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