Open Space Preserve on Tiburon Peninsula Grows

County closes escrow on formerly private land, added to Old St. Hilary’s Preserve

San Rafael, CA – One of Marin County’s most beautiful open spaces, the Old Saint Hilary’s Open Space Preserve, almost doubled in size with the finalization of a years-in-the-making acquisition of the Easton Point property on the Tiburon Peninsula.

A 110-acre parcel in the hills above Tiburon on Easton Point has been annexed into the 122-acre Old Saint Hilary’s property, a popular hiking destination that overlooks San Francisco Bay with world-class views. The parcel is widely known as one of the last great urban open spaces in Northern California, but it was vulnerable to development for large homes and long targeted by the environmental community for preservation.

With leadership and critical support from Trust for Public Land, Tiburon Open Space, and neighboring taxpayers who supported a ballot measure, the Marin County Open Space District closed escrow August 29 on the $42.1 million purchase. A public celebration is in the works for Saturday, October 26; event details will be publicized in the coming weeks on the Marin County Parks calendar webpage.

For more than 30 years, nearby residents were uncertain whether the 110 acres would be developed for homes or left unscathed for the preservation of nature and recreational purposes. The land, sometimes referred to as the Martha property, had remained under the ownership of the same family for more than 100 years. In June 2022, the Open Space District approved a purchase and sale agreement that involved a two-year fundraising plan by Trust for Public Land.

In November 2022, 78.8% of neighboring residents within the Tiburon Peninsula Open Space District voted to pass Measure M, which allowed for the issuance of up to $23 million in bonds for the parcel acquisition and to block potential development (a two-thirds majority was required for passage). The bond sale ultimately generated approximately $20.8 million. An additional $2.4 million was used from bond proceeds from a 1990 tax measure that led to the original Old Saint Hilary’s property purchase.

The overall funding breakdown worked this way:

• Approximately $20.76 million from Measure M bonds
• Approximately $2.42 million from 1993 and 1997 bond proceeds
• $6 million from Measure A, the quarter-cent countywide tax measure that supports parks, open space, and sustainable agriculture
• $5.5 million from the California Wildlife Conservation Board
• Approximately $3.295 million from individuals, family and community foundations
• $1.5 million from the California Natural Resources Agency
• $1.5 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
• $1 million from the Town of Tiburon
• $125,000 from the City of Belvedere

The new part of the preserve, named for a white chapel built in 1888 on the southern end of the property, had exceptional conservation value, said naturalist Shannon Burke of Marin County Parks. The land is flanked by an oak woodland that provides shelter and food for many animal species. The federally threatened California red-legged frog takes advantage of seeps and drainages along the slopes to seasonally move to and from nearby breeding areas. Native plants include serpentine reedgrass and the rare Marin dwarf flax.

Those who helped orchestrate the conservation effort are rejoicing.

“It is an honor to be stewards of such a remarkable landscape and to contribute to securing its protection for future generations,” said Max Korten, Director of Marin County Parks and General Manager of the Marin County Open Space District. “Marin County Parks is grateful to work alongside our community and stakeholders to foster a shared sense of stewardship and expand accessible, sustainable recreation opportunities for everyone to enjoy.”

Guillermo Rodriguez, TPL’s California State Director and Vice President for the Pacific Region, added: “We are overjoyed to take this historic step in finally protecting Tiburon Ridge. This is decades in the making and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to forever secure a cherished landscape with breathtaking 360-degree views of the San Francisco Bay Area for all to enjoy. We are deeply grateful to the County of Marin and Martha Company for their partnership. Victories like this do not come easy and if it were not for the incredible support and generosity of voters, community leaders, individual donors and Tiburon Open Space, who rallied together to protect this special place, this historic outcome would not have been possible.”

Jerry Riessen, President of the nonprofit Tiburon Open Space, said, "After over 35 years of community involvement and hard work, this is a great success for everyone forever."

Revenue from the 2022 tax measure, known as Measure M, provided the required funding. The special tax levy of $335 annually will expire when related bonds are repaid; the term of the bonds is limited to 30 years from the date they were issued. Only property owners in the eastern part of the Tiburon Peninsula are subjected to the special tax. Visit Trust for Public Land to learn more about its contributions to this conservation effort.

 

You have subscribed to News Releases & Advisories for Marin County. This information has recently been updated.

Visit the Newsroom to view all County news releases.