Join the Fight to Preserve Banning Ranch

BY TERRY WELSH
Chairperson, Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force
President, Banning Ranch Conservancy

Image of Banning Ranch Credit: Terry Welsh

Banning Ranch is the largest parcel of privately owned coastal open space remaining in Orange County. Banning Ranch is located at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, near West Newport Beach, and consists of 412 acres of coastal wetlands and adjacent coastal mesa. Having served for oil production for the last 80 years, Banning Ranch has escaped the dense residential development characteristic of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Banning Ranch serves as habitat for the California Gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, San Diego Fairy Shrimp, Burrowing Owl, Least Bell's Vireo and numerous other species. Banning Ranch shares borders with 1000 acres of publicly owned open space.

The Gnatcatcher, a Banning Ranch native Credit: Angeles Chapter Archives

In 2006, the voters of Newport Beach approved a General Plan that makes preservation of the entire property as open space the highest priority for Banning Ranch. The Newport Beach General Plan also allows for the owners of Banning Ranch to simultaneously pursue development entitlements. Newport Beach has conducted a comparative pricing study (a sort of informal appraisal) to get a rough idea of the value of Banning Ranch, as well as hired a consultant to evaluate funding sources.

The majority owner of Banning Ranch is AERA Energy, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon-Mobil and Shell. The two other partners are Cherokee Investment Partners and Brooks Street Development. The owners of Banning Ranch have submitted an application to Newport Beach for a large development consisting of 1375 homes, 75,000 square feet of commercial space and a hotel to be built on the mesa portion of the property. Notice of Preparation Comments have been received from the public and a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is expected later in the year.

The Sierra Club Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force (BRPP) is dedicated towards the preservation, acquisition, conservation, restoration and maintenance of the entire Banning Ranch as a permanent public open space, park and coastal nature preserve. The Banning Ranch Conservancy, a tax-deductible 501c3 land trust, was formed in 2008. Recently, the Banning Ranch Conservancy made a presentation to the Orange County Transportation Authority requesting Measure M mitigation funds be used for the acquisition of the entire Banning Ranch. This request had the unanimous support of the Newport Beach city council.

BRPP and the Banning Ranch Conservancy urges you in the strongest terms to support this important effort to purchase and preserve the largest parcel of private Orange County coastal open space that will ever be for sale. After Banning Ranch, the story of the coast in Orange County is largely written.

The owners have a very smooth public relations effort and will attempt to sell the development of Banning Ranch to the public by leaving the largely undevelopable portions of Banning Ranch alone and the wetlands available for restoration. The owners will also offer areas for sports fields. Public officials in decision-making positions need to be convinced by conservation minded citizens that the entire Banning Ranch should be preserved.

Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force meets every third Wednesday of the month at 7:30 PM. Call for location: 714-432-1385 info@savebanningranch.org.

Visit our websites at: savebanningranch.org and taskforce.sierraclub.org/banningranch

Image of Banning Ranch Credit: Terry Welsh