The Varian Ranch Development consists of 3,127 acres of land bordered by Orcutt Road and Lopez Drive on the southwest and southeast property lines, extending up into the rolling oak-covered hills to the north to a point named "Slide Hill" on the USGS Arroyo Grande NE quadrant map.  See Varian Ranch Satellite Map for reference.

 

Of that total land space, more than 3,000 acres have been set aside to remain as Open Space for as long as the development exists, to be used only for agricultural purposes and to remain undeveloped.  The residents refer to those 3,000 acres as "the back of the Ranch" and they are owned by the Homeowners Association on behalf of the 48 individual lot owners.  The land is leased out for cattle grazing and growing citrus, which provides income for the HOA to help offset the cost of maintaining the ranch, our roads and our common use facilities.  But the open space is also treated by the residents like a private state park.  There are over 25 miles of designated trails used for horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking, many with distant ocean views.  Thus the land is useful not only as a beautiful natural backdrop to the developed area, but a fun place for residents to explore and take along a nice picnic.

 

It is important for our current owners and any prospective future owners to understand why this land preservation distinction exists.  The Open Space preservation was a condition precedent to the approval of the Varian Ranch development plan.  Jack Varian entered into the agreement with the County, on behalf of himself and his successors in interest (the Varian Ranch Homeowners Association), whereby Jack granted an open-space easement to the County.  The Open Space Agreement comes with very specific use conditions and restrictions that must be adhered to by the property owners, and the Agreement remains in effect for as long as the clustered lots of the subdivision exist.