California Wants to Transform a NorCal Ranch into a Massive New State Park

N3 Ranch. Photo: California Outdoor Properties

When Governor Gavin Newsom announced his $222 billion proposed state budget on Friday, he included a one-time $20 million surplus in order to acquire a property and create one of the largest new state parks in decades. And while he didn’t mention the property by name, all signs point to the 80-square-mile N3 Ranch.

The ranch, located near Livermore, spans 50,500 acres across four counties and includes the Alameda Creek watershed, which nourishes the elk, deer and hundreds of species of migrating birds that call the area home. The private property has been preserved for hundreds of years, making it the perfect location for a brand-new California state park.

“It’s quite a place,” said Todd Renfrew, principal owner of Vacaville-based California Outdoor Properties, to the AP. “This is a landscape that looks like it did more than a century ago.”

Governor Newsom has been pressured by Bay Area lawmakers to help preserve the land, and is kick-starting the project with $20 million. The asking price for the ranch is $72 million, currently being sold by two Southern California sisters. The money from the state budget will be just part of the investment, with a total commitment of $30-million being supplemented by The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Lands.

N3 Ranch. Photo: California Outdoor Properties

“This is a matter of urgent concern because this irreplaceable property is for sale now,” Democratic Sen. Steve Glazer said in a statement. “Nonprofit conservation groups have assembled funding commitments that could finance more than half the cost. We need to move on this quickly.”

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button