Explore the latest project updates and learn more about the revised Access Program Options. Use the links below to watch the summary video, review the Access Program Options Report, or read the workshop and survey summary.

Building on earlier work and community input received in November and December 2025, the project team refined six Access Program Options that outline different approaches to providing coastal access at Hollister Ranch. Each option combines access methods and beach locations in different ways while balancing public access, resource protection, public safety, feasibility, and consideration of private property.

Hollister Ranch is a private, gated community that includes 8.5 miles of publicly owned tidelands along the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County. The coastal area of the property features sandy beaches, rocky tide pools, coastal bluffs, and world-class surf breaks. The area also contains diverse marine and terrestrial habitats, as well as Native American cultural sites.

Recreational opportunities, like beachcombing, surfing, fishing, and wildlife observation, are currently available only to private homeowners and their invited guests. There is no land-based, public recreational access to this coastline, making it one of the most inaccessible stretches of the California coast.

Assembly Bill 1680 of 2019 requires that four state agencies (the Coastal Commission, State Coastal Conservancy, State Lands Commission, and Department of Parks and Recreation) collaboratively develop an updated coastal access program for Hollister Ranch, including provisions for land access to the beach.

An initial phase of work, completed in 2021, included extensive community engagement and resulted in the Draft Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program, which identified potential access locations and key considerations. Building on that work and subsequent community input, the State Agency Team has developed and refined Access Program Options that outline different approaches to providing public coastal access.

The project is now moving into the next phase, where these options will be evaluated for impacts and benefits in an Environmental Evaluation Report. This analysis will inform the identification of a proposed access program to advance for environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.