Anonymous
Source: County of Santa Barbara
Construction has started on the long-planned Meadows South neighborhood housing project located in the Rice Ranch Specific Plan Area of Orcutt. In the interest of public safety, the trailhead at east Orcutt Community Park will be closed for construction activities until early 2022. The builder is working with the County of Santa Barbara Parks Division and local nonprofit trail group Santa Maria Valley Open Spaces (SMVOS) to minimize trail interruptions.
Trail Detour from November 1, 2021 to Early 2022
A temporary trailhead is located at Leopard Lily and Sage Crest drives to provide access to the Black Oak and Cobblestone trails. From Orcutt Community Park, exit the park entrance and travel .25 miles east on Sage Crest Drive, as shown in the enclosed map.
By early 2022, the trailhead at Orcutt Community Park and a modified trail from the park will be open for public access. In the meantime, the public is kindly asked to respect all signs and construction fencing as crews construct a permanent and improved trail.
Orcutt Hills Open Space
The 560-acre Rice Ranch Project Specific Plan Area is located in the southeastern portion of Orcutt, within Key Site 12, as described in the County’s Orcutt Community Plan (OCP). The Rice Ranch Specific Plan project is a master-planned community that contains 725 residential units clustered in seven distinct neighborhoods. Pursuant to the OCP requirements, the Rice Ranch project included the dedication of approximately 326-acres of natural open space to the County of Santa Barbara, 11 miles of public trails and development of the 26-acre Orcutt Community Park, now complete.
The Orcutt Hills Open Space is owned by the County of Santa Barbara and managed by the Community Services Department, Parks Division. The trail network is managed and maintained in cooperation with Santa Maria Valley Open Space www.smvos.org. For information on County Parks, please visit www.sbparks.org.
