Picturesque Pescadero farm sells easement to land conservancy

The owner of Level Lea Farms, one of the most picturesque farms in Pescadero, sold a conservation easement for $1.27 million to a land trust, reports Julia Scott in the County Times.

Farm owner Meredith Reynolds said the deal, reached with the Monterey County Agricultural and Historical Land Conservancy, would allow her to keep the farm in her family, as it has been since her ancestor, Lafayette Chandler, bought the 190-acre tract in 1860. ...

Under the deal, Meredith and her husband, James Reynolds, gave up development rights on their farm in return for a lump-sum payment of $1.27 millionfrom state and federal agencies. They will invest some of the money in maintaining the land and paying off growing expenses associated with running a farm in San Mateo County — expenses like flood and liability insurance and building repairs.

With its rustic view of the Pescadero hills and location less than two miles from the ocean, the property would likely have proved irresistible to a developer of rural estate homes, according to Charles Tyson, manager of the state Department of Conservation’s California Farmland Conservation Program.

The land could have been split into eight new housing lots someday, according to state regulations. The state program contributed roughly half the funds toward purchasing the easement.

Current farming revenue doesn’t cover the farm’s expenses, but the easement will allow the owners to make the land available to local farmers at an economically feasible rate. Pescadero farmer Joe Muzzi and his sons have cultivated Brussels sprouts, pumpkins, lettuce and other vegetables on 90 acres of Level Lea Farm for years.