Despite the rain, 114 acres were added Tuesday to Santa Clarita’s Open Space Preservation District.

The Taylor Open Space – a popular filming location for the 1979-1985 CBS televsion series, “The Dukes of Hazzard” – is a natural woodland area in Lyon Canyon, adjacent to the north side of Rivendale Ranch. The property had once been slated for housing (see plans here), but those plans didn’t materialize.

Instead, the city seized an opportunity to purchase the land for $1.76 million after negotiating down from $3.5 million in 2009. (Read story here.)

Tuesday’s dedication brings the city’s open space acreage to 8,448, officials said.

About 20 people including Mayor Laurene Weste, other City Council members and parks commissioners attended the rainy-day ribbon cutting.

“Open space is critical and vital to protecting the mountain range around the community,” Weste said. “Maybe not today, but get out there and hike.”

The eventual goal is for all residents to be able to hike from their own neighborhood into open space, Weste said.

“The Taylor property is an important link in the Santa Clarita greenbelt,” she added. “By bringing the property into public ownership under the city’s Open Space Preservation District, we are protecting an important wildlife corridor, safeguarding endangered wildlife and allowing residents to explore a new side of Towsley Canyon.”

The Taylor open space is part of the Santa Clarita Conservation Corridor, an important wildlife corridor and habitat. The dedication placed the open space in public ownership to be preserved and enjoyed in perpetuity as a protected wildlife corridor and part of the city of Santa Clarita’s southern greenbelt.

Since its incorporation in 1987, the city has made significant efforts to preserve the greenbelt and undeveloped land within and outside the city. In July 2007, city of Santa Clarita property owners voted in favor of creating the Open Space Preservation District (OSPD). The District is designed to expand the city’s existing Open Space, Park and Parkland Program in order to preserve natural land from development, create more parks for community usage, and protect rare biological and geological regions.

The special assessment paid by city property owners gives the city a seat at the table to purchase land that could otherwise be developed and put pressure on the city’s precious natural resources. Additionally, the Open Space Preservation District greatly assists the city in preserving natural lands, retaining wildlife corridors, and completing the city’s greenbelt buffer.

– Kimberly Beers