The Situation

Essential Nisene 2 Sea Corridor Open Space Threatened

The Koch Property is located above Cabrillo College and provides the public access to The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park through both the Vienna Woods and the West Ridge Trails directly from Cabrillo College. This is land that has been used extensively by the public to access Cabrillo and Nisene Marks and for many other recreational purposes for more than 40 years.

This property was purchased in March, 1998, by two San Jose based real estate development corporations ( S&P Carmichael Enterprises, Inc. and Men-Chy Properties). These corporations are now actively taking steps to develop the property and block all public access and use. To date the developers:

• Illegally graded a road and building site that was red-tagged by the County
  
  
• Drilled a 650 foot deep well
  
  
• In April, 2001, applied for a permit to grade more than 3000 cubic yards of dirt to build a 1/2+ mile long access road from Jennifer Drive and driveway up to an initial home site proposed for the top of the hill on the Property
  
  
• Are attempting to obtain a additional road access to the Property through Cabrillo College
  
  
• Are continuing with their subdivision plans for a development with 10 to 20+ high end homes.
  
  
• Are expected to soon file for a building permit for the proposed home on the hill and the initial home in their development project

The initial home planned for the hilltop will entirely block all access into The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park via the “Cabrillo Trail” and is to be built on the portion of the Koch Property surrounded on two sides by State Park boundaries.

The “Cabrillo Trail” extends from Cabrillo College lands across the flatter portions of the Koch Property, up the hill commonly known as “Cardiac Hill” along the ridgeline into The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park.