Coastal Utopia

On a ten mile stretch of craggy bluffs in Sonoma County is a planned unincorporated community known as The Sea Ranch.  In the 1960s a group of idealistic architects envisioned a coastal neighborhood where the dwellings would enhance the salty landscape.  A covenant was written giving birth to the frequently uttered phrase “live lightly on the land”.  Wooden houses with ocean front views were built around meadows.  Cypress pine hedgerows were planted.  Soon after, the paths to the cliffs were littered with families and dogs.  The vision had sprung to life.

Spending a vast number of years living in New Jersey and Los Angeles my eyes have grown accustomed to unappealing strip malls, disposable apartment buildings and poorly designed housing developments, all of which have minimal regard for the land.  On a recent trip to Baja Sur, Mexico the overdevelopment of Southern California was underscored.  The topography was similar, but the land void of freeways and concrete jungles, was pristine.  Thus The Sea Ranch is a utopian delight.  Fifty years after the community was planned the vision is still intack. Proud residents continue to live by the original rules governing the community which they admit can at times be inconvenient. Eye rolling accompanied conversations about the placement of exterior lights (so the night sky would be optimal for star gazing) or the limited color palate to paint one’s door.  However, they seemed more than willing to jump through these additional hoops in exchange for living in a community that valued both the architecture and landscape.