A San Luis Obispo County park is one step closer to fruition.
In the second phase of a three part plan, the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County acquired 750-acres stretching from Del Mar Park in Morro Bay through Alva Paul Canyon.
The lot, now owned by SLO County, was originally owned by an affiliate of the Chevron Corporation. The land had not been used for decades, and was formerly used as a marine terminal for petroleum storage and transportation.
The conservancy says its goal is to acquire a total of roughly 1,800 acres from Chevron's affiliate to create Toro Creek Park, a place for locals and travelers to visit.
“We really have this great opportunity to open up just a really exceptional open space for those communities that's close to home, in many cases, walkable or certainly bikeable for people living in north Morro Bay,” said Daniel Bohlman, Deputy Director of the conservancy.
Bohlman also said after the county picks up discussions with the City of Morro Bay, the public may be able to access the area for recreational activities in the near future.
“Phase 2 enjoys good access as it butts up to Delmar Park in north Morro Bay, which is of course a city park. The county of course is going to have to get into conversations with the City of Morro Bay, etcetera, about what that looks like. But essentially you could park there at Delmar Park.”
The project is about a decade in the making. The next phase includes acquiring another 750 acres from the Chevron Corporation Affiliate. In order to complete that step, the land will need to be acquired by 2030.
That area will be used as additional open space for tent and RV camping accommodations.
