Taylor Mountain - Cooper Creek Addition - Background

Project Background

The Cooper Creek Addition offers a unique opportunity to expand neighborhood access to Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve and protect valuable riparian habitat.  Located east of the existing Ragle Ranch neighborhood of Santa Rosa and southeast of the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, this property was previously zoned for housing development. The scenic hillside will now be preserved in perpetuity through a conservation easement with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. The conservation easement ensures the property will remain in a natural state, allowing only for minimal development associated with passive recreation. 

An easement for the future extension of Farmers Lane exists along the western boundary of the addition, along the eastern edge of the Ragle Ranch neighborhood. While plans and the timeline for extending the roadway are uncertain, the proposed layout for the trailhead improvements will take that future project into consideration.

Project Funding

The acquisition of the property by Sonoma County Regional Parks and the Sonoma Land Trust was made possible through a combination of public grant funds and private philanthropy including the California State Coastal Conservancy, the Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018 (Proposition 68), the California State Department of Parks and Recreation Habitat Conservation Fund, and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District’s Matching Grant Program.