Published 3/6/2025
Midpen recently approved the purchase of three properties near Half Moon Bay that will expand the existing Miramontes Ridge Open Space Preserve and provide a location for a ranger and maintenance staff office. The properties consist of a commercial property and undeveloped open space lands.
“Midpen staff provide many valuable public services to the Coastside, and this site will enable our staff and equipment to be readily available and provide for greater connection and presence within the community,” said Midpen Superintendent Chris Barresi.
When Midpen’s boundaries expanded to include the San Mateo County coast in 2004, the public agency made a commitment to the community that a ranger and maintenance staff office would be established once Midpen preserved 15,000 acres in the area.
This acreage milestone was reached with the purchase of what is now Cloverdale Ranch Open Space Preserve near Pescadero in 2023. Anticipating this infrastructure need, staff have been putting aside funds for this purpose.
Staff searched for a suitable site for several years before finding a 2.61-acre commercial property within Half Moon Bay city limits. The commercial property is currently leased out to private businesses for parking and storage. The property was a rare fit with all of Midpen’s narrow criteria including for size, zoning, utilities and absence of prime agriculture or farmland.
Two nearby undeveloped open space properties totaling 62.68 acres were also approved for purchase in the same transaction and from the same owner to be incorporated into Midpen’s adjacent Miramontes Ridge Preserve. These parcels already had an easement over them that prevented development, and their preservation aligns with the priorities in Midpen’s Vision Plan, funded by voter-approved Measure AA.
Improvements to the commercial property will need to occur before Midpen staff and equipment can begin operating out of it. These purchases are scheduled to close escrow this spring. Midpen has several existing ranger and maintenance staff offices located throughout our service area to serve Midpen preserves and visitors.