The scenic Dos Pueblos Ranch, known as Rancho Dos Pueblos, is once again up for sale, this time with a hefty price tag of $65 million. This picturesque coastal property, first reported by Bloomberg, was last acquired by Roger Himovitz three years ago for a sum exceeding $33 million.
Situated on a breathtaking ocean-view blufftop, Dos Pueblos Ranch spans a sprawling 219 acres and was initially a part of a vast estate of 15,000 acres stretching from Refugio to Fairview Avenue in Goleta.
Himovitz, with the intention of creating a community resource, brought together various parcels of land incorporating the historic main ranch with its prominent Casa Grande and additional parcels along Dos Pueblos Creek.
Gaviota’s landscape, where the ranch nests, is celebrated for its untouched beauty marked by the serene California coastline. The ranch land, characterized by rolling hills dotted with occasional structures, is deeply cherished, with any form of development traditionally met with resistance in the Gaviota Coast area.
One of the earliest ventures embarked upon by Himovitz as the owner of Dos Pueblos Ranch was founding the Dos Pueblos Institute. Its stated mission was to revamp the ranch to serve as a public asset, supervised by the nonprofit for the community’s advantage. Among the institute’s goals were facilitating public-private partnerships to complete the coastal trail, allowing access to the Chumash people for ceremonial purposes, and establishing a retreat center.
Additionally the property is home to the Cultured Abalone Farm, established in 1989, that sustainably raises native red abalone from hatchery to market.
Himovitz previously introduced luxury accommodations like yurts and tent-cabins at El Capitan Ranch, which he later placed under the management of an RV company in 2020. And in 2022 he rented out the ranch as a shooting location for Season 4 of the popular reality series “Love Island”.
Today, however, faced with “serious health issues” that stifle his ability to commit the necessary time and energy, Himovitz has decided to bring the property back onto the real estate market. The property is being co-listed by an elite team of brokers, which includes Steven Moritz from Sotheby’s International Realty – Brentwood Brokerage, Nancy Kogevinas from Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties, and George Logan from 22 West Realtors.
The property listing can be found here.
Related Articles
https://www.edhat.com/news/reality-tv-series-filming-at-dos-pueblos-ranch/
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Not sure if this is a naive take, but it seems there were so many good intentions for this property:
https://www.independent.com/2023/01/04/daring-dreams-for-dos-pueblos-ranch/
This very visible statement on the front page of the Dos Pueblos Insitute’s website is telling and makes one wonder what happened:
“Regrettably, the 200-plus-acre property has suffered neglect over the years, leading to the deterioration of many of its buildings. Our aspiration is to reverse this trend while respecting the Chumash heritage and transform the ranch into a public resource managed by the nonprofit Dos Pueblos Institute for the benefit of the community.”
https://www.dospueblosinstitute.org/
Anyways, Roger Himovitz is almost 80 years old. If he’s facing serious health issues, as Edhat’s story says, I can understand how that could completely change a person’s outlook and priorities.
The Indy article was a puff piece. They gobbled up everything Himovoitz fed them. At the end of the day, he’s a developer. When he saw how the public stood fast against the El Cap Canyon Resort expansion that he orchestrated, he realized a new campground at Dos Pueblos might be harder to get approved than he previously thought.
Did Himovitz have to pay for this advertisement?
Haha. No joke.
Nope, just a local news item but we’re happy to discuss advertising options with anyone who is interested!
-ed
Haha. Nice.
It would be nice if somehow the city of Goleta could absorb this property. Like the City of SB did many years ago by extending a skinny little sliver along the coast and enveloping the airport properties. Goleta could turn it into an incredible public “park” with beach access, trails, nature center, meeting/wedding facilities, etc. What an incredible opportunity. Maybe the City of SB could run another “skinny little line” up the coast to absorb that property if Goleta refuses to do it. Otherwise….we all know what’s going to happen….it’s housing for gazillionaires from Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and ??? Maybe let Ty Warner build out the Sandpiper Golf Course if he buys/donates this property to the county…..hmmmmm. Ty Warner County Park? Oprah County Park?
Shoestring annexation. Brilliant plan.