Public gets glimpse of Black Mountain: Bond measure eyed to purchase open space in San Carlos

City officials are seeking input from the public whether to seek a voter-approved bond measure to buy the 11.3-acre Black Mountain property, 7.3-acre Rollieri property and 4.9-acre Vista Del Grande property.

Currently, only the Black Mountain property is on the market for sale with an asking price of about $18 million but the city is prepared to negotiate with the other two property owners to purchase the remaining property if the public approves a bond measure.

“We would be remiss if we didn’t provide the public with the opportunity to make the decision,” City Manager Jeff Maltbie said Thursday evening as about 120 residents toured the site.

The property has a few homes on it now and sweeping views of the Bay.

Technically, however, the land is zoned to accommodate between 70 and 100 new homes on the three properties, Maltbie said.

“These type of opportunities don’t come around often,” Mayor Ron Collins said.

The city has surveyed the public over the past several months to gauge what it would support with a bond measure and preserving open space topped the list.

“It’s a beautiful property that a lot of people didn’t know where it was. It has ties to the beginning history of the city,” Maltbie said about the water company.

Black Mountain tapped a spring in the area until after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 when the flow of the spring was disrupted, Maltbie said.

Residents would have to pay an estimated $20 per $100,000 of assessed value of their home if the bond measure is approved.

Maltbie, however, is not sure how much will need to be raised to purchase all three properties.

The property’s underground water could be used to water Highlands Park, Maltbie said.

Much of the land is on steep slopes and is not suitable for development.

The San Carlos Elementary School District had its eye on the Black Mountain property last year for a new school site but the deal fell through.

Some in the public have suggested the land would be a perfect spot for a recreational center or pool and others have suggested it be turned into a park where dogs can roam free.

The council must decide by Aug. 7 whether to put a bond measure on the November ballot.

bill@smdailyjournal.com

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