POST Acquires Whaler's Cove at Pigeon Point, Will Remove Controversial Bed & Breakfast
June 14, 2000
A controversial bed and breakfast under construction next to the historic Pigeon Point Lighthouse will be removed from the site by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), which has purchased the scenic beachfront property for $2.65 million.
POST's acquisition of the three-acre parcel, known as Whaler's Cove, was announced today by Audrey Rust, president of the Menlo Park-based land trust. The property, located 21 miles south of Half Moon Bay near Pescadero, includes four buildings, a water purification system and sewage treatment facilities, all of which will be removed.
"This is a very important and symbolic purchase," Rust said. "Our goal is to preserve the extraordinary, rural character of the coast and prevent it from being compromised by building and development. The motel would have been the first commercial development west of Highway 1 between Santa Cruz County and Half Moon Bay.
"This acquisition accomplishes several important things. It allows us to restore beach access to Whaler's Cove, which was closed to public use in 1994, and remove visual obstructions from a beautiful piece of coastline. It also eliminates possible run-off from the water desalination and sewage treatment plants that could have degraded the bluff and polluted the tide pools at Whaler's Cove."
Photo © Robert Buelteman
The bed and breakfast, known as the Lighthouse Inn, was to include three bungalow-style buildings, each containing three units. While opposed by historians and environmentalists, it was approved in 1996 by the San Mateo County Planning Commission, Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Coastal Commission.
Construction was delayed by water and sewage treatment issues, finally commencing in late 1999. The shells of the buildings had been completed before work was halted last month when POST and the previous landowner, Lighthouse Inn at Pigeon Point, LLC, reached agreement on the terms of the sale.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a State Historical Park, was established in 1872 after a series of shipwreck disasters in the area. The name, Pigeon Point, comes from the clipper ship, Carrier Pigeon, which ran aground and sank at the spot in 1853 on its maiden voyage from Boston to San Francisco. The lighthouse is now owned by the Coast Guard and leased to the California State Department of Parks and Recreation. From the lighthouse, visitors can observe migrating whales, seals, sea lions, elephant seals, and many species of seabirds.
Photo © Robert Buelteman
POST plans to turn the property over to the state park system, which now maintains the lighthouse and an adjacent youth hostel. The hostel originally housed the Coast Guard personnel who manned the station from 1939-1972, when the light became automated. Before bulldozing the structures, POST will attempt to recycle the four buildings for other possible uses, such as environmental education or farm labor housing.
While this property is much smaller than many recent POST acquisitions, Rust regards it as one of the organization's most significant.
"We've been attempting to acquire this property since 1993," she said. "The lighthouse is a very visible symbol of our efforts to save the coastline. The planned construction of the facility next to the lighthouse was a signal that the coast is very vulnerable. The fact that we have been able to stop it gives people hope that we can work together to prevent further development."
The $2.65 million POST paid for the Whaler's Cove property was borrowed from the organization's land acquisition fund, moneys that Rust hopes to replace through government grants and private support from the community.
"We need to raise $2.65 million in gifts to replenish the fund, so we have the necessary working capital in place for future land purchases." Rust said. "This is an opportunity for people who share our vision to come forward and help save the coast. There are a number of ways we can recognize their contribution at the site."
POST is a private, public benefit land trust and a leader in preserving the beauty and character of the Peninsula's natural resources.