It’s official: the former Ocean Meadows Golf Course is now owned by UCSB, as the Trust for Public Land — which purchased the 64-acre property earlier this year for $7 million in order to restore it as an extension of the Devereux Slough — donated the landscape on Tuesday. University officials are already in the planning stages of a long-term plan for the property, and intend to address access issues as soon as possible.

The money for the purchase came from a variety of agencies, including $2.5 million from the California Coastal Conservancy, $750,000 from Santa Barbara County, and additional support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Transportation, Goleta Valley Land Trust, California Wildlife Conservation Board, and the California Resources Agency. But there remains many millions more to be raised for the restoration project, which is estimated to take as much as $10 million and at least one year of planning before any dirt is turned.

The former owner of the golf course, attorney Mark Green, retained about seven acres adjacent to existing university housing near Storke Road, and plans to build a 28-unit subdivision in the near future.

For a more in-depth story on the landscape, its history, and the future, read Ocean Meadows Is Dead! Long Live Ocean Meadows!.

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