Description
Big Bend Ranch is a 108 acre private nature reserve located at the intersection of Jalama Road and Highway 1, about 5 miles south of the City of Lompoc. The ranch offers endless hiking opportunities through expansive groves of oak trees, abundant wildlife, and wonderful recreation opportunities along El Jaro Creek, which runs through the property. The creek, vegetated in a lush community of mostly-native riparian forbs, shrubs and canopy-forming trees is known to support steelhead and other species of special status birds, reptiles and amphibians. About one-third of the property is grassland and about one third is mixed oak woodland and scrub; both communities have been routinely grazed by cattle for many years. On the flat bottomland near the creek, about 30 acres are devoted to dry farming of beans and other crops in an operation run by the neighboring property owner. The rest of the property is occupied by small paddock areas and a development compound. There is an existing 1,400 sq ft 3bed, 1bath home on the property with an in-ground pool and an easterly facing porch that offers unobstructed views of the mountains and surroundings. The area also has a pole barn and associated agricultural structures. The property is zoned as AG-II-100 and is not located in the coastal zone. The property is currently under a Williamson Act Contract. The ranch has a prime, potential two-acre homesite overlooking the beautiful Jalama Valley where you can build the home of your dreams (up to 4,000sf, single-story), a guest house, and pave a driveway to the site. Permission has been granted by the Land Trust, but requires county approval. Additional details available upon request to qualified potential buyers. In addition to the potential homesite, the property possesses remarkable scenic and open space resources and a vigorous agricultural operation. Big Bend Ranch has the opportunity for diversified agriculture and tremendous potential to cultivate a boutique winery with the perfect microclimate and great rich soil. There are currently ~40 acres of prime farmland in dry farm bean production and around ~40 acres leased for grazing. The current farming lease is a crop share agreement and this has the potential to generate higher returns in years where yields are higher. There is the potential to change to a fixed per acre pricing scheme, the crop share is simply a continuation of the agreement held between the lessee and the previous land owner. Three wells, a perennial artesian spring, a 30,000 gallon masonry water cistern is located on the hill. The undeveloped spring located in the canyon adjacent to the property's prime vineyard acreage has been anecdotally observed for several decades to run at a rate of no less than a gallon/minute or so, as it does to this day, despite drought of historic proportions. The spring is located just a few yards away from a 300,000 gallon (1 acre-foot) push-up, stock pond, water reservoir. Positioned in the mouth of a canyon at an elevation about 100 feet above El Jaro Creek, this feature represents significant water storage capacity adjacent to the hillside where the vineyard could be installed. Big Bend Ranch is a unique opportunity in the area with existing magical character and tremendous potential down the road for the next owner.
