Park District Makes First Land Acquisition Using Measure WW Funds

At their August 11 meeting, the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors unanimously agreed to partner with the City of Oakland to purchase the 64-acre Chabot Dunsmuir Property located on a prominent ridgeline in southeast Oakland. This is a particularly significant purchase for the Park District for several reasons. It is the first acquisition using Measure WW funds, the $500 million bond measure passed by voters last November, and it includes protecting two significant creek tributaries of the San Leandro Creek, one of the few remaining above ground urban creeks in the East Bay.
East Bay residents indicated protecting urban creeks was a significant reason for supporting the ballot measure.  The regional significance of this property’s preservation has led to its identification as a priority by the California Coastal Conservancy, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and the Bay Area Open Space Council.
 
The Park District is purchasing the property with the City of Oakland in an agreement that the City will own and maintain the property. The Park District’s share will be for a conservation easement over the entire property and a recreational trail easement for the future development of the Dunsmuir Height to Chabot Regional Trail leading to Anthony Chabot’s Fairmont Ridge. The agreed upon sale price is $2,925,000, based on its appraised fair market value, plus acquisition cost. The Park District will contribute $1,900,000 and the City of Oakland will contribute the balance of $1,025,000.
 
“This acquisition shows that a group of neighbors really can make a difference,” states East Bay Regional Park District Board Member Doug Siden whose ward includes this area. “The residents of the area wanted to preserve this ridge and took the steps to do that. They came to our public planning meetings for Measure WW and made a very compelling case for putting this on our project plan.” The property includes two large residential tracts mapped in the late 1940s and 1950s but never subdivided. Local residents have long opposed development of the subject parcel.

The 64.41-acre property abuts the South Hills residential area to the north and east, city open space including the Dunsmuir House and gardens to the west and the City’s Lake Chabot Municipal Golf Course to the south. The property affords views across the southeastern portion of the City out to San Leandro Bay and San Francisco Bay.

After close of escrow, the City will be responsible for maintenance of the property, while the Park District’s responsibilities will be limited to constructing, operating and maintaining the proposed Dunsmuir Heights to Chabot Regional Trail. Escrow is scheduled to close on or before December 31, 2009. The timing of the construction of the trail will be at the Park District’s discretion.

Chabot Dunsmuir Board Material from August 11, 2009 (Acrobat PDF)

Chabot Dunsmuir Aerial View and Proposed Trail Alignment (Acrobat PDF)