Save Mount Diablo preserves & landowners donate a key 211 acre parcel in East Contra Costa County

Threatened parcel a key wildlife & recreational link from the new Cowell Ranch State Park to the Roddy Ranch Open Space

Contacts: Seth Adams, Director of Land Programs w925 947-3535

(Antioch-Brentwood) Save Mount Diablo (SMD), a San Francisco East Bay Land Trust formed in 1971, announced today that agreement has been reached with Fox Ridge Manor (Fox Ridge), a group of five local families, on a development compromise that preserves 90 percent—211.6 acres—of a strategic 221.6 acre property. The parcel is located in East County’s Briones Valley south of Antioch and west of Brentwood, a hot spot for endangered species, and includes more than a mile of Briones Valley creek.

The property’s southeast corner is adjacent to the new 4,000 acre Cowell Ranch State Park and one half mile from the Roddy Ranch Open Space (also preserved by SMD). The property’s preservation reduces an open space gap from 1.3 miles to one-half mile. If two more small gaps can be filled SMD can complete the 60 mile Diablo Grand Loop Trail—an extension of the 30 mile Diablo Trail the organization created in 1994. The preserved property will be donated as a condition of a minor subdivision approved by Contra Costa County.

In return for donation of a mile long trail, a conservation easement over 211.6 acres and fee title dedication of 196.6 acres, the landowners have been granted a subdivision of five 5-acre lots, each with 2 acre building envelopes. Contra Costa County approved the compromise on April 26 but the agreement was not announced until the possibility of legal challenge expired. The Fox Ridge Manor property is privately owned and closed to the public until a variety of planning steps are completed.

"Fox Ridge is excited to create a substantial park dedication for our community and supports Save Mount Diablo’s goal of developing and connecting the Diablo Grand Loop Trail. We appreciate the time and effort Save Mount Diablo and many others have spent on this project. Seth Adams at SMD deserves special thanks for his commitment to obtaining a win-win for all involved. Once we worked out all the details, Seth went to bat for us with the County and helped us get the project approved with the various agencies. " said Weston Cook, Managing Partner of Fox Ridge Manor.

"This property was a top priority for Save Mount Diablo. It reflects the importance of Save Mount Diablo working with private landowners and the variety of ways in which we can together protect important pieces of land. Fox Ridge is incredibly important as a wildlife and recreational corridor, since it’s located between two large public open spaces," said Malcolm Sproul, president of the Board of Directors of Save Mount Diablo. "The Fox Ridge families are being extraordinarily generous. They agreed to reduce the size of their lots by 90 percent and to donate nine tenths of their 221 acre property, a substantial gift to the public. We appreciate their willingness to work with Save Mount Diablo to protect sensitive resources, in this case a mile of Briones Valley creek, endangered species habitat and a beautiful back drop of rolling hills."

"This is a great example of a property owner who recognized the regional significance of their property and worked cooperatively with Save Mount Diablo and the County to come up with a solution," said Catherine Kutsuris, Deputy Director of Current Planning in the Contra Costa County Community Development Dept. "Will Nelson did a great job bringing the parties together and everyone worked together. It’s really good planning when everybody works together with the public interest in mind."

BACKGROUND: The Black Diamond to Los Vaqueros Wildlife and Recreational Corridor

Save Mount Diablo acquires land and responds to development applications; its key goals include expanding and connecting Mt. Diablo’s parks. In May 1998 SMD broadened the area within which it works to include the mountain’s foothills in Eastern Contra Costa County and proposed a Black Diamond Mines to Los Vaqueros wildlife and recreational corridor, covering a distance of about seven miles.

At the time, it was thought it might take 15-20 years to preserve the seven mile corridor. In October 1998 a three mile long area was preserved stretching southeast from Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, the 1,123 acre Roddy Ranch Open Space, including a trail easement across the dedicated area on Roddy.

On July 26, 2000 the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors tightened the County’s Urban Limit Line (ULL) excluding most of the Cowell Ranch property (which had at one time been proposed for approximately 5,000 houses) and all of the Roddy Ranch—but the County ULL does not constrain cities. The ULL compromise, which excluded 16,000 acres, left a small part of Cowell Ranch inside the ULL for development in exchange for public acquisition of the remainder as a new State Park. Current discussions over city urban growth boundaries (UGB), a requirement of the Measure J Transportation Sales Tax which was approved in November 2004, have once again placed nearby areas (including the remainder of Roddy Ranch and the area west of Brentwood) in jeopardy. A variety of initiatives are being circulated which could affect the locations of these UGBs.

The new Cowell Ranch State Park was dedicated on May 3, 2003, bridging another 2.5 miles stretching northwest—leaving a 1.3 mile gap of private land between the Roddy and Cowell open spaces. Nearly half of that gap is owned by the partnership of five Brentwood area families, known as Fox Ridge Manor.

BACKGROUND: The Property: Fox Ridge Manor

The Fox Ridge Manor parcel is a triangle of floodplain and grassland hills following Briones Valley Creek and Briones Valley Road, southeast to Cowell Ranch State Park (near Deer Valley Road). The sinuous creek flows directly into the park. A flood plain borders Briones Valley Road on both sides of the creek. Across the road to the south are a number of rural ranchettes, often with horse barns and paddocks. To the north is a backdrop of sensual grassland hills and then, off the property, a higher ridge separating Briones and Deer Valleys. To the west Briones Valley rises slowly to the creek’s headwaters on property owned by East Bay Regional Park District.

On its rarity maps, the Nature Conservancy shows Briones Valley as a hot spot for rare species. Because of earlier development applications at Roddy and Cowell, a great deal is known about the area, especially in regard to endangered species.

For example, a 1993 biological survey of Cowell Ranch was conducted, by the environmental planning firm LSA Associates (Malcolm Sproul, a principal at LSA is also SMD’s president), while preparing an EIR for the development proposal there. The survey found special status species including the woody plants, heartscale and San Joaquin saltbush, both found in the alkali sink scrub (CNPS 1B, 2-2-2). The survey also found 12 special status species of animals. Found in the ranch’s aquatic habitats (vernal pools, seeps, stock ponds and Marsh Creek) were two types of fairy shrimp including Branchinecto lynchi (Fed-Endangered) and Linderiella occidentalis (NDDB-G2G3); a diving beetle, Hygrotus curvipes (NDDBG1S1), California tiger salamander, northwestern pond turtle, and California redlegged frog (Fed-Threatened). From the grassland and alkali scrub habitats the survey recorded San Joaquin pocket mouse, loggerhead shrike, California horned lark, burrowing owl, prairie falcon, and northern harrier. All the above species are on the Cal. Dept. Fish & Game’s Species of Concern lists. The ranch contains suitable habitat for the San Joaquin kit fox (Cal-Threatened, Fed-Endangered), which is confirmed from Black Diamond Mines Regional Park and the Los Vaqueros watershed. Another species, the Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonum truncatum), which had been presumed globally extinct for nearly seventy years until its rediscovery at Mt. Diablo on May 20, 2005, was first recorded in the area in 1862. Many of these species could be expected to live in or migrate across the habitat at the Fox Ridge Manor property.

BACKGROUND: The Subdivision: Fox Ridge Manor

In October 2000 the Fox Ridge Manor families proposed subdivision of their 221.6 acre property into five lots of approximately 44 acres each. The partners acquired the property with the intent of developing five homes. Despite the small number of units, Save Mount Diablo and wildlife regulatory agencies responded with great concern. As a result, Contra Costa County required significant biological studies.

In 2004 Save Mount Diablo took a position of opposition to the project and began lobbying County officials. With the help of Catherine Kutsuris (Deputy Director of Current Planning in the Contra Costa County Community Development Department) and project planners Aruna Bhat, Rose Marie Pietras, and Will Nelson, SMD and the Fox Ridge families began conversations about a potential compromise. Managing partner Weston Cook was especially helpful. Over the next six months agreement was reached.

Kutsuris and Nelson came up with an exemption from state subdivision law, allowing creation of a sixth parcel for open space dedication (outside of the County’s ULL, subdivisions can normally only include five lots). The partners reduced their lots, which had included creek crossings, in size by 90% from approximately 44 acres to five acres each, clustered south of Briones Valley Creek along the road frontage.

In sequence, the partners will first dedicate a trail easement across the park dedication parcel. Then they’ll dedicate a conservation easement over the entire parcel except for five, two-acre building envelopes. Finally, they’ll dedicate the 196.6 acre parcel in fee. East Bay Regional Park District has tentatively agreed to accept the trail and conservation easements and will be given first right of refusal over the park dedication with the Cal. Dept.s of Fish and Game and Parks and Recreation in second place.

"Contra Costa County staff did excellent work on this project, especially Catherine Kutsuris and Will Nelson," said Seth Adams, Director of Land Programs for Save Mount Diablo. "It was clear to the Fox Ridge families that there were extremely sensitive resources at stake and County staff came up with the vehicle with which to protect them."

"Save Mount Diablo lived up to their word--once we worked out the details of an agreement, they fully supported the project and did not try to renegotiate points," said Cook.

The compromise was approved by the Contra Costa County Planning Commission on April 26, 2005 but the agreement was not announced until now, after the possibility of legal challenge expired.

"This park dedication is a significant win for our community and the environment.  We are equally excited for the day when it will be connected to the larger park system," said Cook.

"East Bay Regional Park District staff would like to acknowledge the Fox Ridge Manor families for their willingness to work with Save Mount Diablo and the County.  By reducing the development footprint in their proposed subdivision, they have preserved important habitat, scenic and open space values and will provide for future public recreational opportunities on their property," said Nancy Wenninger, Land Acquisition Manager for East Bay Regional Park District.

At Present Public Access By Private Tour Only

The Fox Ridge Manor property is privately owned and closed to the public until a variety of planning steps are completed, (as is the Roddy Ranch Open Space) until neighboring parcels are preserved and connected. Cowell Ranch State Park is beginning the preparation of a General Plan and is similarly inaccessible for the time being. The 30 mile addition to the 30 mile Diablo Trail Diablo, to create the 60 mile Diablo Grand Loop Trail, is in the proposal stage; potential alignments have been mapped but are dependant on preservation of other parcels. Save Mount Diablo has been and will continue to hold public hikes at Cowell Ranch State Park and in the area until the three properties are opened to the public.

Save Mount Diablo

Save Mount Diablo is a non-profit 501(c)(3) conservation organization, which has been preserving lands on and around Mount Diablo and educating the public to the mountain's natural values since 1971. Preserved lands have increased from 6,788 acres in one park to more than 87,000 acres in twenty-nine parks and preserves. Save Mount Diablo continues to raise funds to preserve the remainder of the mountain. Contact: Save Mount Diablo, telephone: (925) 947-3535, facsimile: (925) 947-3603, 1196 Boulevard Way #10, Walnut Creek, CA 94595; www.savemountdiablo.org

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Briones Valley Creek - photo by Scott Hein	Fox Ridge Manor - photo by Scott Hein
Fox Ridge Manor - photo by Scott Hein	wooden gate - photo by Scott Hein
Map of Fox Ridge Manor location	Regional location of Rox Ridge Manor

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