GILROY—The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority this week purchased 183 acres of farmland south of Gilroy to help permanently protect land where Llagas Creek flows into the Pajaro River. The public agency now owns or controls more than 16,000 acres, according to spokesperson Patty Eaton.
The authority paid $2.8 million, or $15,300 per acre, to the landowners, a family that had worked the land for decades, Eaton said. The Authority contributed nearly $1.7 million in taxpayer funding toward the purchase while grant and state funds covered the remaining cost.
The acquisition by the public agency will help create—along with other farmlands in the area—a buffer of more than 1,800 acres of fertile agricultural land between Gilroy and Hollister that will be preserved for posterity.
The land was most recently used to grow row crops such as tomatoes, peppers and lettuce. C & F Farms, based in Gilroy, is currently growing tomatoes on the land.
Left undeveloped, the property will aid flood management efforts because the land will absorb rainfall and reduce the risk of downstream flooding, Eaton said. Preserving farmland reduces the need to build new levees and other expensive stormwater infrastructure, she explained.
“This project is key to providing a range of community benefits, from wildlife protection to flood management to supporting the local agricultural economy,” said Michael Mantelli, president of the Resources Legacy Fund. The fund helped contribute grant funds for the purchase.
“It is just the sort of multi-purpose conservation project our communities need,” he said.
The authority received a $650,000 grant for the purchase from the Resources Legacy Fund and $490,000 was contributed by the California Department of Water Resources and the Pajaro River Watershed Flood Prevention Authority, according to Eaton.
The Open Space Authority’s purchase will also protect and connect wildlife habitat areas in the surrounding mountains, she said.
Moving forward, the public agency will prepare a management and conservation plan for the land while exploring opportunities for public access. The property’s northern border will someday connect to area trails, Eaton said.
Measure Q, passed by California voters in November 2014, provides continued funding for the county Open Space Authority’s efforts to invest in open space. However, the 183-acres were not purchased with any funds from Measure Q, Eaton said.
