Contra Costa Times
From the article:
ANTIOCH -- After being eyed for estate-style homes the past two decades, roughly 1,900 acres of Contra Costa hills in the northeast shadow of Mount Diablo are poised to be preserved as open space and one day turned into a regional park.
The East Bay Regional Park District agreed Tuesday night to purchase the Roddy Ranch property for $14.25 million from Roddy Group LLC, a partnership that includes local cattle rancher Jack Roddy. The move is one of the most expensive land deals in the district's history.
The district's option included making a $500,000 initial payment to start escrow, which would last a year.
The property acquisition, especially because of its size, is a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to expand an existing trail network, protect and restore endangered or threatened species such as the California tiger salamander and San Joaquin kit fox and eventually create Deer Valley Regional Park, said Robert Doyle, the district's general manager.
"It will allow us to create a whole new park. Plus, it ties in with the other land acquisitions we've made in East Contra Costa to create a huge wildlife corridor," said Ted Radke, the area's representative on the district's board of directors.
The purchase would create a continuous buffer of undeveloped land in the fast-developing East Contra Costa region between Black Diamond Mines Regional Park and the Marsh Creek State Park south of Brentwood.
"It's an incredibly important piece of land. We whole-heartedly support (Roddy Ranch) being at the heart of this new preserve," said Scott Hein, president of conservation group Save Mount Diablo.