Mendocino Coast Regional Park, Golf Course and Conference Center

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Mendocino Coast Regional Park and Golf Course received final approval on February 10, 2006. In June the District completed the purchase of the property from Campbell Hawthorne Timber Company with the assistance of the Friends of the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District.

Permits for the conversion of the land from timber growing to recreational use and a Timber Harvest Plan for the clearing of approximately 165 acres were approved in January 2007. The timber harvest and clearing of the brush and undergrowth will be done in 2007 or 2008 depending on available funds.

Construction of the golf course and regional park amenities would begin the following year. Construction will be financed by Municipal Revenue Bonds which will be repaid from the operation of the golf course. The facilities could be ready for public use during the summer of 2010.

The Regional Park now includes a family picnic park, 5 miles of integrated hiking and biking trails, an 18-hole championship golf course with a combination clubhouse and conference center, a sports park, a nature camp, and 176 acres of Conservation Easements to protect Mendocino Pygmy Cypress, Northern Bishop Pines, and mixed conifers including Redwoods and Douglas Firs. Sixty percent of the nearly 600 acre site will be left in its natural state.

In addition to providing and estimated $350,000 a year to supplement the MCRPD budget, the project will create 33 permanent full time jobs with an annual payroll of over $1 million dollars, and generate new sales and bed tax revenue for the City and County of over $100,000 per year. Construction of the golf course, clubhouse/conference facility, family park and trail system will cost about $8 million dollars creating work for local contractors and suppliers over a two year period. Sports Park costs are estimated to exceed $5 million dollars and will be done incrementally as funds from grants and golf course operations become available.

For information about financial participation and support for the project please contact Jim Hurst, Project Manager at 707-367-8411 or email him at harbor2 at mcn dot org.