Hollister Ranch Settles with State to Provide Limited Public Access

A settlement reached between Hollister Ranch and the State of California will open to the public a beach inside the ranch and expand existing access for students and nonprofit groups. Struck after five years of litigation between the Hollister Ranch Owners Association and two state agencies — the California Coastal Commission and the California State Coastal Conservancy — the settlement grants “the public to use a portion of the Hollister Ranch, with access only from the ocean via surfboard, paddleboard, kayak, or soft-bottom boat,” according to a statement by Steve Amerikaner, representing the association.

The beach, located at Cuarto Canyon, roughly two miles west of Gaviota State Park, is about three quarters of a mile long. The public will have use of the beach between the waterline and the base of the coastal bluffs. The settlement does not authorize public access to any other portion of the ranch, and visitors will not be allowed to reach the beach through the ranch’s main gate or across land.

Another aspect of the settlement expands the existing Hollister Ranch Managed Access Program, which has accommodated school kids for more than 20 years, to create a permanent Tidepool School Program. Historically, the ranch has also invited disabled veterans and other underserved groups to enjoy its coastline; under the terms of the settlement, the ranch will open that programming to more nonprofits to serve 400 individuals annually.