This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
San Ysidro Ranch may add a botanical garden to its manicured property, a major change from the current habitat restoration project on the proposed site. The new garden plans are technically a permit revision, not a new project, and are still under review with the County of Santa Barbara. Approval will not require a hearing or a formal public comment period.
Less than 10 minutes from the head of San Ysidro Trail is a fenced-in swath of green space. California Oaks grow in cleared, rocky soil along with grasses and shrubs. If a hiker follows the perimeter of the fenced-in property, they’ll travel onto McMenemy Trail, cross an (often running) stream, and discover a sign: “erosion control and landscape restoration in progress.”
San Ysidro BB Property, a limited liability company owned by Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner, is proposing to change the restoration project to include a botanical garden. Warner also owns the nearby luxury hotel, the San Ysidro Ranch. In March 2021, San Ysidro BB Property LLC removed trees and other plants on the property, as well as on a nearby parcel of land. In that removal, they took out native plants and trees in an area labelled environmentally sensitive habitat without permission from the county. A document authored by a biological consulting service hired by San Ysidro BB Property said the company had “aimed to reduce the area’s fire load.”
The following year, San Ysidro BB Property gained permits for a habitat restoration and enhancement project. The project covered both parcels. The environmentally sensitive habitat would be restored with native plants and other areas would be “enhanced” with the removal of invasive species and planting of both native and non-native plants.
Last June, San Ysidro BB Property applied for a minor revision application to its permits, such that the plans would now become a botanical garden, not habitat restoration. The new plans show a range of native and non-native plants and trees with different garden sections, man-made ponds, and places to sit. The new site would also include a pollinator garden.
A few of the proposed plants are considered undesirable given fire risk, according to the County Fire Department’s undesirable plant list. Those plants include pine trees, deer grass, and junipers.
The county has not yet approved the permit revisions, but some evidence suggests that work has already started on the gardens. What look like freshly planted conifers are already growing in the area.
Montecito local David Everett is writing a book on the history of Montecito’s trails — after the 2017 Thomas Fire and the 1/9 Debris Flow in 2018, he worked to help restore the trails. He frequently hikes McMenemy Trail and sees the property.
He said he has seen the area change in the past five years, including small modification to the creek to plant in its bed and plants from the property encroaching in the trail’s easement.
Everett said he’s concerned that because the gardens are submitted under a permit revision and not as a new application, there is little opportunity for the public to know how the gardens will be used or comment on the project.
“What’s going to be the purpose of this garden?” he said. “Is it going to be used for parties? Is it going to be used for weddings? Is it going to be used for music? And will that affect the canyon, which has always been so serene and so quiet?”
San Ysidro Ranch did not respond to requests for comment.
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