The Best Job in America?

In a previous story at LandReport.com, we took a look at the value of hiring a competent ranch manager to oversee a larger piece of property. While competency is one key attribute, passion is another. Read on to see what I mean. Read more

Nolan Ryan Pitches the Perfect Investing Game

Cheap and close. Those are the two criteria you use when you’re looking to buy land and you make only $7,000 a year. At least those were the two Nolan Ryan used back in the 1960s when he began buying ranchland in Gonzales County, Texas.

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In Focus: The Forest Landowners Association

Created in 1941, the Forest Landowners Association (FLA) is a proactive, progressive, grassroots organization of timberland owners – large and small – that owns and operates more than 37 million acres of timberland in 47 states. It is the only organization created for the specific purpose of speaking for timberland owners at the local, regional and national level. Read more

The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon

Four Award-Winning Architects Present Conceptual Ranches’ Site Designs;
Plans Complement The Ranches’ Vast Santa Ynez Valley Acreage

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, CA – The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon, the largest available collection of ranches to descend from the original royal ranchos of California’s Santa Ynez Valley, announced its Preferred Architects program today. Four of the country’s leading architects are designing conceptual main house and ranch site plans, each tailored to specific ranch properties.

The Preferred Architects for The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon include some of the most significant names in custom home design: Howard Backen of Backen Gillam Architects based in Sausalito and St. Helena, California; Barry Berkus of B3 Architects and Berkus Design Studio in Santa Barbara, California and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jonathan Foote, Architect in Tucson, Arizona and Livingston, Montana; and David Leavengood of Leavengood Architects in Seattle, Washington.

“The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon are exceptionally rare and private properties, with breathtaking views and authentic natural beauty in an area already well known for its special wine country and equestrian aura,” said Phil Taylor, co-managing member of ARC-Fonterra. “Buyers will benefit from the Preferred Architects’ comprehensive knowledge of The Ranches’ untouched terrain as well as their expertise in high-end ranch and vineyard properties, scenic/rural settings and environmentally conscious design.”

Each architect will provide a conceptual design for one of the ranch properties including the main ranch house as well as an overall site plan for any ancillary buildings such as a ranch manager’s residence, guest house, barns, entry or pool. Buyers may opt to work with the architect who provided the conceptual plans for their ranch, choose one of the other Preferred Architects or select an architect outside of the Preferred Architects Program.

The Preferred Architects

Howard J. Backen, FAIA of Backen Gillam Architects leads an award-winning architecture and interior design firm that specializes in the design and project management for projects that include high end residential, resorts, wineries, and restaurants.  Perhaps Howard is best known for Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute in Utah which he designed while one of the principals of BAR, Esperanza and The Napa Valley Reserve along with numerous projects throughout the country and abroad. Backen’s designs express a style that blends with the natural surroundings and are often set in spectacular scenic locations. The firm has extensive experience in designing wineries, recently Howard was featured in Architectural Digest’s Top 100 Designers and the exclusive Robb Report magazine lists Howard as one of the top 10 residential architects in the U.S.

In 1991, Architectural Digest named Barry Berkus “one of the world’s top 100 architects” and in 1999, Berkus was selected as one of the 100 most influential individuals in the past century of American housing by Builder magazine. In 2007, he was inducted into the California Building Industry Foundation’s Hall of Fame. While his firms, B3 Architects and Berkus Design Studio, are international in scope, they are headquartered in Santa Barbara, and Berkus lives locally in Santa Ynez.  B3 Architects and Berkus Design Studio design a broad range of projects including rural and ranch residential homes and specialize in winery properties.  Berkus is renowned for his vineyard and winery designs and is currently designing a new winery for Star Lane Vineyards located adjacent to the Ranches’ property.

Jonathan Foote is one of the top, award-winning residential/ranch architects in the U.S.  His designs are innovative, luxurious and modern while still preserving the classic ranch style of residences that blend in with and enhance rural settings. Jonathan’s work has been featured in many national publications including Architectural Digest, Big Sky Journal, Cowboys & Indians, Veranda, and Western Interiors and Design. Foote founded JLF & Associates in Montana in 1979 which received awards from local, regional and national chapters of the American Institute of Architects and Historic Preservation Associates. He currently works as an independent architect and advisor to the firm that he established.  “The site is the starting point of design and the initial instigation of the form that I’ll eventually evolve,” said Foote. “The Ranches’ abundant acreage and unspoiled beauty inspires infinite creative possibilities.” 

David Leavengood is recognized as one of the West’s most highly regarded architects.  His practice has a particular focus on rural and ranch residential properties as well as heritage and preservation projects. Widely recognized for its sensitivity to environmental and preservation issues, his firm has been featured in many publications including Architectural Digest, Sunset magazine, and Travel & Leisure.  David has received many awards for the creative use of sustainable and green design principles in ranch settings.  Leavengood Architects initiates its design process through careful land planning to optimize the aesthetic placement of structures.  This results in a sequence of movement through the landscape that creates the strong sense of place which has characterized his designs for the last four decades.  “The lighting at The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon produces magnificent effects as it moves across the diverse terrain,” said Leavengood.  “My designs are greatly influenced by natural elements such as sunlight, climate and rolling landscapes, and provide optimum views of the dramatic light reflections throughout the day.”
The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon

In a region prized for its natural beauty, The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon are among the most scenic and topographically dramatic properties to come on the market in over 25 years.  Recently released for sale by ARC-Fonterra, the five properties comprising The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon range from 187 to 1,176 acres and exemplify the classic California ranch landscape, with mature oak and sycamore trees, terrain both rugged and rolling, and beautiful vistas. Each ranch has its own unique defining characteristics, each has one or more legal parcels, and each will be served by water and utilities. Traditionally used for cattle ranching, these properties also hold great potential for vineyards and equestrian facilities, as well as a private residence.

The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon extend below the San Rafael Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest, overlooking the internationally known Happy Canyon area. Happy Canyon has several vineyards which produce award-winning Bordeaux wines with an application pending to become an American Viticulture Area (AVA). In addition, this region is recognized for equestrian activities ranging from polo to cutting, and is home to one of the finest thoroughbred facilities in California. The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon are just 10 minutes from Los Olivos, two hours north of Los Angeles and only 30 miles from Santa Barbara, recognized internationally as the “American Riviera.”

“In terms of their scale and immediate availability, The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon are a unique collection of authentic California ranches,” says Brian Prinn, co-managing member of ARC-Fonterra.  “Usually properties this spacious are found only in remote areas of the country. The ability to own and enjoy ranch property so private yet so close to a cultural destination as renowned as Santa Barbara makes these ranches even more exceptional.”

The five ranches – College Ranch, Ranger Peak Ranch, Vista Largo Ranch,
Corrales Creek Ranch and Lost Trail Ranch – range from $6 million to $24.5
million. 

Photo Gallery

For more information on The Ranches at Figueroa Canyon, please visit:
http://www.ranchesatfc.com/.
 
Additional Information on the Preferred Architects

Howard Backen, Backen Gillam Architects: www.bgarch.com
Barry Berkus, B3 Architects: www.b3architects.com & www.berkusdesignstudio.com
Jonathan Foote, Architect (see JLF & Associates, Inc.): www.jlfarchitects.com
David Leavengood, Leavengood Architects: www.leavenarch.com
Additional Information on the ARC-Fonterra
 
ARC Global Partners, LLC is an international real estate investment firm operating with focused strategies in select markets around the world. ARC’s investment philosophy emphasizes the value of “human capital” and the advantage of superior information-flow in real estate.  Principals of ARC Global Partners include Henry Cabot Lodge III, former Executive Vice President of iStar Financial Inc, Alex Vahabzadeh, co-founder of the BV Group of companies, Ray Wirta, former Chief Executive Officer of CB Richard Ellis, and Vincent Pica, former Chief Executive Officer of Longwing Real Estate Ventures.  For more information on ARC please visit www.arcglobal.com
 
Fonterra Partners LLC is a California-based real estate development firm focused on legacy quality properties in premier locations.  The company is led by Brian T. Prinn and Philip R. Taylor.  Mr. Prinn was previously Vice Chairman of Lowe Enterprises where he was responsible for its residential and commercial development activities prior to assuming leadership of the firm’s investment management business.  Lowe Enterprises is a national real estate and development company with over $6 billion in assets under management and with over 7,000 employees.  Mr. Taylor has originated and developed large, high-quality projects for over eighteen years, including the Pacific Shores Center, one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s largest and most innovative waterfront office/R&D properties; El Rancho San Benito, a large master planned town south of San Jose, CA; and Ocean View Plaza, a new waterfront mixed use development in Monterey, CA.

The Rise and Fall of Ethanol

One of the more telling anecdotes about ethanol comes from Boone Pickens. It’s always an eye-opener to listen to this master raconteur discuss energy and politics. Last month I heard him tell an audience at Georgetown University about a sit-down he had in Washington in the late 1980s. Read more

Low Food Levels, High Corn Prices Mean Less Land for CRP

Driving today I tuned into C-SPAN Radio on my XM dial looking for something better than the latest Top 20. I caught the tail end of a conversation,  Congressional testimony it sounded like, regarding the current food crisis that is plaguing the United States and the rest of the world. The discussion centered on a program and its effects on those prices. Read more

Maine Goes Public on 10 Million Acres

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“Land is the Riskiest Form of Speculative Real Estate”

Every once is a while, someone gets it so wrong that they end up being right. This quote by Paul Puryear, a housing analyst at Raymond James & Associates, ran in today’s Wall Street Journal. It’s about CALPers and its tanking land play outside of Los Angeles. His quirky rationale belongs with the best of Yogi Berra. I’d put it up there with ”This is like deja vu all over again.” Here’s why. Read more