Hollister Ranch Public Access Case Ongoing

Private settlement talks concerning broader public access at Hollister Ranch are ongoing as ranch representatives face a pair of state agencies ​— ​the California Coastal Commission and the State Coastal Conservancy ​— ​looking to actualize a public-access offer created in 1982. In approving a YMCA plan to build a camp on the ranch, the California Coastal Commission required public access to the site and its nearest beach. To stop the development, the Hollister Ranch Owners Association purchased the Y’s parcel, but according to the state, the access offer remained viable. The ranch disagrees. “We are currently preparing for trial, and we’re also looking at a possible settlement,” said attorney Steve Amerikaner, adding that the ranch ​— ​primarily through school field trips ​— ​already provides “a robust public-access program.” The next private hearing is scheduled for 10/2.