Caltrans plans to sell excess Prunedale property, but ranch operators question the process.

For 21 years, Mark and Gayle Comer have opened the gates to their 65-acre ranch in Prunedale to provide classes among the rolling hills and oak woodlands for children, many of whom have experienced trauma or require special needs.

Twenty of those acres are owned by Caltrans, purchased through eminent domain in the 1970s when the state had planned to construct a road in the area for commuters to bypass Highway 101.

The Prunedale Bypass Project never came to be, so Caltrans instead opted to construct various improvements to Highway 101, leaving the state agency with large swaths of land it had no intention of using.

The Comers were surprised recently to see a “For Sale” sign down the road from the property, and a picture of their Pesante Road driveway on a listing posted on Zillow, a real estate website.

Caltrans listed the property for sale, along with other Pesante Road properties it considers excess. The 20 acres the nonprofit Hidden Hills Ranch leases has been combined with 14 adjoining acres, and will go to auction on Aug. 12 with a starting bid of $625,000.

Gayle Comer says when they purchased the ranch, they were aware that the 20 acres would be sold at a future date. They’ve been renewing their lease with Caltrans every year or so, inquiring frequently on when the state planned on selling the property.

But the Comers say Caltrans over the years assured them Hidden Hills Ranch would have the first opportunity to purchase the property before it went to bid – which Caltrans officials dispute.

“The Comers have never owned the parcel they lease from Caltrans and Caltrans never communicated to them that they would have first option to purchase the property,” Caltrans District 5 spokesperson Kevin Drabinski says in a statement, adding that the Comers were notified of the planned sale “multiple times” earlier this year and that their current lease expires on July 31, less than two weeks from the auction date.

Mark Comer says they are interested in purchasing the property, but the packaged deal with the extra 14 acres “drives up the price.”

“Because they bundled it, it becomes unaffordable to the individual homeowner,” he says.

Comer questions if any developer would be interested in the hilly and wooded property with no water or utilities – “It’s not very usable,” he says.

Drabinski said Caltrans is obligated to sell the property at fair market value since it was originally purchased with state funds. Proceeds from the sale will help fund local transportation projects.

If the land is sold, Gayle Comer says Hidden Hills Ranch will still operate, just on the 45 acres that they own, while their driveway, located on the leased 20 acres in question, will be accessible through an easement.

The ranch’s founders are in talks with area land trusts to gauge their interest in purchasing the property to preserve the open space.

“We’re OK with whatever happens,” she says. “But we’re not OK with how it’s happening and why it’s happening. We’re just grateful we’ll have the 45 acres and we’ll still provide the help and outdoor nature education that’s needed.”