MROSD approves purchase of 160 acre property in Half Moon Bay

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s board of directors approved purchase of a 160-acre property in Half Moon Bay at a public meeting Wednesday night. The seller, a private party, will retain ownership of the adjacent property which includes their working Christmas tree farm. Less than two acres of the tree farm is on the land the District is purchasing, and will be leased back to the seller to be operated as part of the tree farm.

The property is located near Highway 92 and Skyline Boulevard, an area identified as a priority for land conservation because it serves as a gateway to the San Mateo County Coast. The District’s purchase of the property helps to preserve agriculture, rural character and scenic beauty of the Half Moon Bay area. Protection and restoration of the natural environment are also a priority for the District, and the purchased property provides rich and diverse habitat for wildlife.

Because the property is surrounded on all sides by private land, it will remain closed to the public for the time being. Future land purchases will be necessary to connect it to the District’s existing Mills Creek Open Space Preserve, less than a mile away.