The Randall Preserve is one step closer to becoming a reality as an open space oasis.
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The property management plan for the former oil field in Newport Beach that is being turned into passive open space for the public got a green light from the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority governing board this week. The plan was created in partnership with the nonprofit Coastal Corridor Alliance.
Earlier this year, the MRCA board of directors also approved a tribal access and engagement plan for the property, ensuring native stewards of the land can give input and feedback in future years.
That future will be shaped by three plans: the resource management plan outlining the habitat and species stewardship; a public access plan that highlights the types of trails, their locations, trailheads and public amenities that will be open to the public; and a coastal resilience strategy, focused on sea level rise and the inundation of wetlands in the lower portion of the property.
Last year, a series of meetings were held to get feedback on the future of the open space vision for the 387-acre Randall Preserve, previously known as Banning Ranch.
“Our team has been engaging the community to ensure the public desires are both understood and were appropriately incorporated into the future plans,” says Melanie Schlotterbeck, a consultant managing the Randall Preserve planning process for CCA. “The extensive community outreach not only created unique opportunities for input, but will also include a report-out after the plans are adopted.”
While remediation work and soil cleanup will continue at the property into the foreseeable future, both CCA and MRCA are working together to get the public access components lined up for when MRCA takes operational control of the land.
The land is made up of rolling hills, vast greenery and views of the blue Pacific Ocean. Since the 1940s, it has been tapped for oil production, with some 400 oil wells operating at one point. An estimated 17 acres will continue to be used for oil production.
Like much of the California coastline, the highly sought-after stretch of undeveloped land was eyed to be sold off to developers to build more housing.
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Instead, a hard-fought, decades-long battle — and tens of millions of dollars in fundraising — has kept the 387 acres of natural space open and protected so it can now be enjoyed by the public in years to come.
Frank and Joann Randall donated $50 million toward the former oil field’s purchase and helped lure other funding that made the $97 million purchase by the Trust for Public Land possible. The land trust quickly turned the property over to the MRCA, which is managing the restoration.
The land features rich biological diversity such as marshes, mudflats and riparian and coastal sage scrub, including sensitive, threatened or endangered species such as the California gnatcatcher and the fairy shrimp.
The Randall Preserve will boast more than five miles of trails meandering through a variety of landscapes, giving views of Catalina Island, Mt. Baldy, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and even, on a clear day, the Los Padres National Forest.
The preserve borders other protected areas, making up 1,000 acres when considering nearby Sunset Ridge Park in Newport Beach and the Talbert Nature Preserve in Costa Mesa, and other areas such as Huntington State Park and nearby wetlands.
Early plans include a one-mile hiking loop and a parking area for about 100 cars off 17th Street.
“CCA looks forward to the day that the property can be open and is presently fundraising for items that help advance the property management plan, including a vision plan, habitat and species studies, as well as restoration plans,” Schlotterbeck said.
The next step is to complete a wetland restoration feasibility study to understand what the possibilities are for creating new coastal wetlands in an area that has been diked for a very long time.
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To view the plans, go to RandallPreserve.org/Plans.