Developing a Contemporary Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program

The Hollister Ranch is a 14,500-acre subdivision that includes 8.5 miles of publicly owned shoreline along the Santa Barbara Channel, in Santa Barbara County, with no land-based coastal access for the public. The Gaviota Coast, of which Hollister Ranch is a significant part, is the least accessible stretch of coast in California, with less than 2 miles of publicly accessible shore in more than 60 miles of coastline.

The staffs of the California Coastal Commission, California Department of Parks and Recreation, State Lands Commission and State Coastal Conservancy have entered into an interagency Collaboration Agreement to further the State of California’s public policy of responsibly expanding and enhancing the public’s access to and along the coast and the public’s cultural, educational and recreational experiences at the Ranch.

Working together, these four state agencies have initiated a public access planning process. The initial goals of this process include: 1) engaging a wide variety of stakeholders in a collaborative  planning process; 2) developing an over-arching shared vision for public access at Hollister Ranch that will guide development and implementation of the program; 3) ensuring that the vision and program provide for diverse, equitable, and inclusive access that meets the needs, interests and concerns of as broad a range of Californians as possible;  and 4) developing a program that can be feasibly implemented in light of the property’s physical and environmental characteristics, regulatory requirements, private property interests, public safety and other identified constraints and interests.

At its October 17, 2019 meeting, the Coastal Conservancy Board approved a staff recommendation to allow use of $300,000 provided to the Conservancy by State Parks for the collaborative planning effort.

If you would like to be included on the email list for the planning process, please send an email to Trish Chapman.

For additional information, please also see the Coastal Commission’s Hollister Ranch website.