Mostly flat 75 acre ranch with views and investment potential near Los Angeles
Castaic, Los Angeles County, California
: Paradise Ranch is a rare investment opportunity for those seeking a quintessential California landscape. Longing for fresh imagination and investment, this exquisite pastoral property is just 15 minutes north of Santa Clarita and an hour from downtown Los Angeles. Consisting of approximately 75 acres with three separate dwellings, huge utility spaces and horse training facilities, this historically significant ranch boasts endless opportunities for a new owner. Paradise Ranch has been the location for numerous film and commercial productions over the decades, including Sons of Anarchy, Criminal Minds, 1000 Ways to Die, and Allstate Insurance commercials among many other projects. This land is desirable for its level terrain, including two seasonal creeks and an abundance of wildlife and trees. Bears, deer, rabbits and a wide variety of birds have been sighted on these grounds. One significant owner of the ranch was Frank Churchill, Walt Disney's musical composer, who scored over 65 films including Snow White, Dumbo and Bambi. He lived on the ranch until 1940 and lore has it that all of his original sheet music was found in the home in the 1950s but was sadly unrecognized and burned as trash. The property consists of two parcels, the largest of which comprises approximately 65 acres with three separate dwellings. The smaller parcel features several wells and oak trees and is located across old Highway 99, adjacent to Interstate 5 near Templin Road. The main house originally surrounded a courtyard that has since been enclosed, lending greater spaciousness to the home. With four bedrooms and three baths, every window offers pastoral views. There are gracious hardwood floors, three fireplaces, a rustic farmhouse-style kitchen, cozy den, sunporch and living room. A back patio overlooks the barn and beautiful scenery including an iconic older barn, pastures and mountains beyond. The original home on the property was built in 1910. It is just under 1000 square feet and has been gutted for a thorough remodel. A third dwelling is a 1900+ square foot trailer which needs to be replaced. All habitable structures on the property are permitted. (Zoning is LCA25.) There are two additional storage shops/garages on the ranch. The largest is approximately 4000 square feet with three roll-up doors and plenty of room to store ranch equipment, RV or boat. A second steel structure measures approximately 3500 square feet and is insulated and accessed by a separate gate to the south of the property. In the 1950s the ranch became a breeding farm for thoroughbreds, some of which ran at Santa Anita. The renovated barn can accommodate up to 10 horses. Plus there are15 steel framed corrals, grazing pastures and turnouts. The present owner has made upwards of $1,000,000 in improvements around the property. Highlights include new electrical service with 400-amp panel. Along with a new water system and three new tanks, there are a total of five working wells on the two parcels, yielding up to 15 gallons per minute. Grandfathered water rights. Public utilities including gas, electricity, and internet are connected to the ranch. Septic tanks service each home. The two seasonal creeks, Devil's Creek and Canton Creek, are fed by a nearby aquifer and flow for many months throughout the year. With well over 150 trees on the ranch and breezes from the Topa Topa Mountains, this idyllic landscape harkens back to the charm of ranches and cowboys. With a wide variety of migratory wildlife, this precious ranch is ripe for reinvention. With easy access to Santa Clarita, and not far from Los Angeles and the San Fernando and San Joaquin Valleys, the options for development are limitless.
Megan Mathews
, Sotheby's International realty
