Harvey Bear Park Expanded

County supervisors this week agreed to pay $800,000 to add 10
acres of east Gilroy land to the county’s second largest park.
 
Gilroy – County supervisors this week agreed to pay $800,000 to add 10 acres of east Gilroy land to the county’s second largest park. 

The purchase of the land at 9400 Estates Drive, approved unanimously Tuesday by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, will extend the boundary of Harvey Bear Ranch westward near Roop Road. The 4,445-acre park lies just west of Coyote Lake, a three-mile crescent of water along the eastern foothills of the Diablo Mountains.

“I am very glad to see this beautiful park expanded,” Supervisor Don Gage said in a statement. “County residents will get to enjoy more space today while we preserve this land for future generations.”

The purchase price of the land owned by Barbara Blaettler Siep was based on a 2006 appraisal. Of the $800,000 price tag, $700,000 goes toward the land purchase and $100,000 will be used for closing costs and initial property-management needs such as the installation of fencing, county officials said.

Funds for the Siep land came from money allocated earlier this summer for the acquisition of Sargent Ranch, thousands of acres of rolling hills and streams in South County. That purchase fell through after San Diego developer Wayne Pierce paid an overdue tax bill of $1.2 million.

As part of the supervisors’ Tuesday vote, $1.8 million of the money earmarked for Sargent Ranch will be returned to the parks department’s land acquisition fund.

The 10-acre purchase comes one week after supervisors approved a $1.7-million bid to improve campgrounds at Coyote Lake.

Those funds helped add an amphitheater, shower facilities and 17 new recreational vehicle spots with electric and water hook-ups. The project also included a new trail-head extension connecting the 13-acre campsite to equestrian and hiking trails in Harvey Bear Ranch.