California village outraged over plans for plot of coastal land

Daily Mail​

11 hours ago

A breathtaking California village has been left outraged after a 'crown jewel' plot of coastal land hit the market for $6.95 million - making residents feel they might never get to bask in its glory. The Albion Headlands - an iconic 84 acres of crashing waves , raw bluffs and hills off the Mendocino Coast - is now up for sale, giving its prospective buyer a chance to not just own it, but subdivide it into 16 residential parcels.
The private beauty spot has long been known as a staple in Albion - about 15 miles outside of Fort Bragg - that has majestic and calming views. But now, if a wealthy buyer swoops in to take the land, locals fear they might never get to enjoy it for themselves. For Chris Skyhawk, a longtime Mendocino Coast resident, the view alone takes his breath away and gives him a feeling 'you can just feel in your soul when you sit up there and just get real quiet and look,' he told SFGATE.
For him, redeveloping the Albion Highlands 'is about as popular as offshore oil drilling.' Despite Skyhawk's views, Justin Nadeau, the broker representing the listing, said he has made conservation a major point in the sale - so much so that he contacted the Mendocino Land Trust, local tribal leaders and a private contact he thinks would help protect the sacred land. 'The first party, Mendocino Land Trust, stepped up right away and they've made this public,' he told the outlet. 'My intentions of this is not just, "Hey let's get this great listing and sell off this beautiful chunk of land,' you know, to make a bunch of money",' Nadeau continued.
In fact, Conrad Kramer, executive director of the Mendocino Land Trust, said the non-profit is actively trying to purchase the land so they can be the ones to give the community what it wants. 'Some very rich person or developer could still swoop in and grab it,' Kramer said. 'We think that that won't happen right away, and I'm knocking on wood here.' The land trust was founded in 1976 and helps protect thousands of acres of land along California's North Coast.
Although the group usually helps out through conservation easements, Kramer said they have decided to throw all their eggs in one basket for the highlands. Kramer and the rest of the non-profit believe that purchasing the land is the only way it can be made open to the public. Unfortunately, there is only so much money they can offer. 'We have to get an appraisal done and we can't pay more than that appraised value,' Kramer explained.
Personally, he believes the current asking price is 'considerably over the actual value,' so if the seller does not accept their number 'we might be out of luck.' 'We think that they'll come in and maybe cover half of the price of this property. And then the rest will have to come from somewhere else,' he added. Donations for the cause have already been made by the group's supporters, Kramer said, adding that they haven't launched an official campaign for it.
In response to Skyhawk's comment on how the land sale was marketed, Nadeau clarified what he meant by the term 'reimagining.' 'When I talk about reimagining the future of the Albion Headlands, I'm actually talking about reimagining it in a way for the public to be there and use it. 'The current imagination of the property is houses and condos,' he explained. The realtor said he also took time to speak with locals who have lived in the area for about five to six decades.
As he did so, he quickly noticed a pattern between them all - that 'they've never actually been out there [the highlands].' According to him, the listing has sparked frustrations about the lack of open space and public ownership. Because the Albion Headlands is considered private land, those who access it are technically trespassing, Tom Wodetzki, another longtime resident, told the outlet.
'Albion is about the only community on the coast that doesn't have its own headlands proper,' the environmental advocate said, pointing to other nearby towns - Little River, Mendocino, Fort Bragg, and Cleone - that all have public headland trails. 'People have not been able to go up there without trespassing,' Wodetzki said. Because of the land's restrictions, he thinks it's 'extra important for locals to get our way [that] we can go watch the sunset from the headlands.'
Although Nadeau wants the land to be sold to someone who will put the interest of the community before their own, he said there is still a chance it could be snagged and built on, leaving it private. 'If a private individual decides, "Hey, I'm going to buy the property and I'm going to build a single house," the property is then basically lost to the public forever,' he said.