An innovative effort at developing an environmentally friendly dude ranch in the heart of San Luis Obispo County stalled due to bureaucratic inflexibility. Now the location is being offered up for sale as a home site.
San Luis Obispo, CA (PRWEB) November 11, 2004 -- Today, the owner of the See Horse Canyon Ranch placed the ranch on the market for sale as a private home site, after 4 years of effort towards developing a showcase Eco-Tourism Dude Ranch on the property.
The Ranch is located in San Luis Obispo County, in magnificent See Canyon. See Canyon lies just 12 miles outside downtown San Luis Obispo and only 7 level miles to the beach community of Avila, in the heart of the Central Coast Wine and Tourist area, an ideal site for environmentally friendly businesses like an Eco-Tourist resort.
The Ranch sits on 104 acres of rural land with a scenic view of the entire See Canyon, and beyond to Pismo Beach. Excellent hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding exist on the ranch and in the adjoining rural lands and Montana De Oro State Park. With abundant wildlife including coyotes, bobcats, rabbits, red-tail hawks, kit fox, swallows, quail, and black tail deer nesting and living on the property, it was expected that naturalists would love to stay and observe nature from a comfortable setting of environmentally friendly cottages.
Originally, the owner, Bob Ehlers of San Luis Obispo, had intended to develop an eco-tourism destination resort on the property. "We intended to install small self contained, solar powered bungalow cabins, with septic holding tanks, DC power, and propane heat, hidden in the trees", said Mr. Ehlers, "The bungalows would blend into the surrounding area and would create a minimal impact on the ecology of the ranch. Walking trails would link the cabins together. However, due to issues with zoning and the reluctance by the San Luis Obispo County Planning Department to allow new and innovative uses for rural lands, the project was scrapped."
Mr. Ehlers began planning for the construction of a passive solar home on the property, and has taken this development right up to the point of breaking ground. All of the necessary reports and permits have been completed and issued. All the fees are paid and the plans are approved. But for personal reasons, Mr. Ehlers is now offering the Ranch for sale.
It is a real shame when a dream like the See Horse Canyon Ranch cannot be realized due to bureaucratic rulemaking," said Ehlers. This project had all the potential of being ideal for the community, the environment and me. I had hoped to make a living by allowing people to come to the Ranch, enjoy and understand the nature of the area, and stay in comfortable surroundings."
The ranch currently has a complete road system which conforms to all zoning and California Department of Forestry guidelines. There are two developed wells, a percolating spring, and several other undeveloped springs on the property. Electrical service, telephone (including ISDN), and septic systems already exist servicing the 1200 square foot 2 bedroom, 2 bath fully permitted mobile home. The mobile home has been completely remodeled inside and has a large redwood deck attached, affording spectacular views of See Canyon. The mobile home is currently rented to good tenants for $1300 per month. Cattle graze on the property under a lease arrangement and are well managed by a professional rancher.
"We are permitted to build a new home on the ranch. Construction can begin immediately," said Ehlers. "A pad is already cut, plans are complete, and all permits have been issued for construction and roadwork," he continued.
When the plans for the Eco-Tourism Dude Ranch fell through, plans for building an equally environmentally friendly home were laid out. Working with local Architects Tom Di Santo and Laura Joines-Novotny, a new home design was developed. The design is referred to as a M:OME. The concept is simple: A M:OME is an AIA award winning design incorporating an efficient steel structure, engineered straw panel infill, inverted roof design, effective use of windows and doors, and passive and active solar technologies. It carries much of the aesthetic features of Frank Lloyd Wright and Eichler, with the most modern, cost effective and environmentally sound building materials and techniques.
The home is planned to be two stories, 2500 square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. A breezeway will lead to a 900 square foot garage with a large studio apartment above. The floors are stained concrete on the first floor, which gives the appearance of fine Italian tile. The floors upstairs will be concrete pan with carpet, providing outstanding durability, insulation, noise proofing and structural integrity. The kitchen will feature formed concrete and stainless steel counters, gas appliances, and a retractable door system that will open to the patio, creating an open area for entertaining. Large windows provide outstanding views, heat in the winter and light throughout the year.
The home is designed with an inverted roof to gather water into an integrated cistern for irrigation. The roof also hides the solar panels which generate most of the electricity that the home requires throughout the year. If surplus power is generated, it is fed back to PG&E through the grid inter-tie system. The home operates on standard AC power and features standard 400 amp service from PG&E so that pumps, welders and other farm equipment could be operated if required.
The ranch is being offered for sale without the home built, but with all the plans and permits in place. There are also plans for an alternate custom home that is 3600 sq ft and is a Spanish style ranch which can fit onto the same building pad as the M:OME design if desired.
Aerial photographs of the ranch, AutoCAD topographic maps, blue line drawings and full documentation are all available for inspection upon request.
The asking price for the See Horse Ranch is $2,199,000. "The Ranch is worth a lot more than this to me," said Ehlers, "but the time and energy it would take to build the Eco-Tourist Dude Ranch are beyond my means. It will make a great home site for someone who wants a quiet retreat that is accessible from both LA and the Bay Area."
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