Just weeks after a deal fell through to buy the Richmond Ranch for development, county leaders are moving forward with turning the open space into a massive park.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to begin acquiring a nearly 1,500-acre portion of the 3,654-acre ranch, with the remaining space being acquired by the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency.
The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit, purchased the land for $16 million from China-based Z&L Properties — whose co-founder and former CEO Zhang Li is under scrutiny for allegations of bribery and kickbacks — and is holding the land until the local public agencies have the financing in place to purchase it. This was due to a deal that collapsed last month between Z&L and San Jose-based developer Terrascape Ventures , according to The Mercury News.
The expansive swath of hills and fields straddles the southern border of San Jose, along San Felipe Road. It also sits at the nexus of fierce battles between urban development and land conservation.