Developers have big plans for
”
Ranchomai
”
– the 740-acre property on San Juan Canyon Road recently
purchased for $9.83 million.
San Juan Bautista – Developers have big plans for “Ranchomai” – the 740-acre property on San Juan Canyon Road recently purchased for $9.83 million.
Irwin Sewell, one of the buyers, said he and his partners hope to divide the property into smaller lots and start selling the land to homeowners by summer 2008. The 22,000-square-foot house built by former owner Roger Mairose will probably be sold with a 50-acre parcel of land.
Sewell, a resident of Santa Cruz and Texas, said several parties have said they’re interested in the house, which could be turned into a retreat or the wine-tasting room of a vineyard.
“It could be a private residence, too, but that’s less likely,” he said.
The purchase of the Mairose home is the most expensive San Benito County transaction recorded in the REInfoLink real estate database, and is possibly the most expensive in local history.
Sewell said he and the other buyers were attracted by the land’s size and beauty.
“Once you get up and get on the property, it’s very captivating,” he said.
Sewell said whenever he visited the home, he always saw deer, chickens and other wildlife running across the driveway. He added that it’s “very rare” to find a local parcel of this size.
The plans call for the construction of upscale homes with “Tuscan architecture.” One developer aims to build larger lots at the front of the property, and another wants to build smaller lots in the back, Sewell said. His partners have submitted an application to the county planning department, but Sewell said he can’t specify how large each property will be until the county weighs in.
“Basically, we’re aiming for between 5- and 30-acre lot sizes,” Sewell said.
County Planning Director Art Henriques confirmed that Sewell and his partners have submitted an application for building allocations. Henriques hopes to bring the application before the Planning Commission on Dec. 5.
If it’s approved, the county will then perform further study and consider approving the project itself.
County Supervisor Anthony Botelho, whose district includes San Juan Bautista, doesn’t know the development details, but he said he has concerns about the plans.
“My position has always been that we have to protect the rural character and hillsides surrounding San Juan Bautista,” he said.
Botelho also said infrastructure, particularly water, is a big issue when examining any proposed development.
A lot of the infrastructure is already in place, Sewell said, and developers actually plan to preserve 200 or 300 acres of land for open space. The current plans will do much more than a standard housing development to protect the land, he argued.
“Both of these groups wanted to keep the pristine nature of the land,” Sewell said.
