In a significant move in the ongoing land use debate in the Bay Area, the Peninsula Open Space Trust has acquired a major portion of Sargent Ranch, blocking plans for a controversial sand and gravel quarry. The nonprofit purchased 2,467 acres for $25.1 million from Sargent Ranch Partners LLC. This follows a previous acquisition of 1,340 acres in 2022. The quarry project faced opposition from various environmental groups, local city councils, and the Amah Mutsun tribal band. The investor group associated with the quarry has requested the suspension of the project's review, indicating a major shift in the ownership landscape.
"We are very pleased to have had the opportunity to collaborate with the previous landowner to have achieved such a positive outcome," said Gordon Clark, president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
The quarry proposal has been opposed by environmental groups, multiple city councils including in Santa Clara, Mountain View and Sunnyvale, and the Amah Mutsun tribal band.
Clark said he could not answer questions about whether the organization is in negotiations for the remaining 2,500 acres, on which the quarry project is proposed.
Howard Justus, a San Diego businessman who leads the investor group that owns the ranch, sent an email requesting that the county suspend its review of the quarry project's environmental impact statement.
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