About The Preserve
A private community nestled in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The Preserve’s 20,000 acres are home to a spirited community of 300 families who live and play here – sharing their own private “national park” with family and friends.
The Plan for The Preserve, conceived nearly 20 years ago by Tom Gray and his partners, is the first successful large-scale model for achieving a sustainable balance of settlement with land conservation. Key to this balance is the original concept of a Community Preserve, a commitment by 300 owner-families to share and protect 20,000 acres of private land, an area greater than the entire Monterey Peninsula (need to fact check this). The founders were driven to maintain the integrity of the serene ranching experience this land has offered since the early 19th century. Five years of scientific studies resulted in a resource-based plan to sustain this land’s natural character in perpetuity while providing an extraordinary quality of life for those who choose to settle here and make Santa Lucia Preserve a part of their own family legacy.
Only 2,000 of the Preserve's 20,000 acres are designated as Settled Lands, privately owned and used for limited, controlled development. The Settled Lands include 300 Homelands and various Rancholands. Homelands are carefully selected sites for residences. These Homelands were chosen based on a combination of environmental and aesthetic values. They are positioned in The Preserve's least environmentally sensitive areas and are separated from one another, in most cases, by several hundred yards. Rancholands contain The Preserve’s utilities, roads and community-serving facilities, such as the Corporation Yard; plus recreation amenities including the Golf Course, Hacienda, Polo Pools, Equestrian Center and the Sports Center.
The Preserve's amenities include 18,000 acres of natural beauty, a private Tom Fazio golf course, a Hart|Howerton designed clubhouse, a sports and aquatic center, a full-service equestrian facility, 100 miles of maintained trails, fishing and boating on Moore’s Lake, and an elegantly restored 1920’s Hacienda and Ranch Guest House that offer dining and lodging for owners and their guests.
