Carbon Canyon Horse Ranch Property For Sale Again

Devastated by the November 2008 fire that consumed much of Carbon Canyon, the former Manely Friends horse property in the Brea portion of the canyon is back on the market again.

The accompanying flyer shows several drone-taken photographs of the 10-acre parcel, noting that it has 24 stables, which were, to some extent, rehabbed after the fire; a variety of fruit trees; and the bridge built to replace the one burned out by the conflagration seven years ago.

Notably, the listing states that "per the sellers" the property is zoned as recreational, commercial, and hillside residential and that "sellers have been told be the City that they can build 2.2 houses/acre, and 5 acres of this property is buildable."  Whether it is actually feasible to build up to 11 houses on the property is another matter.

It is also observed, "per the sellers," that "the grant deed shows the property going to the center of [the] road, and the state has a 20 foot easrment on each side of Carbon Canyon."  This must reflect the fact that the original Carbon Canyon Road, dating back to the 1910s, was much narrower and that an easement had to be obtained with property owners to widen what became a state highway in the early 1930s.

Five years ago, the property was marketed for sale at $1.8 million, but now there is no price listed on the flyer, only a statement to "please call for pricing."

Two Carbon Canyon Parcels for Sale

Signs have recently sprung up on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon for two undeveloped parcels.

One sign indicated a 36-acre property at a gate for a dirt road that leads from Carbon Canyon Road to Carbon Ridge, which separates Carbon Canyon from Soquel Canyon.  This parcel has been listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for a few years now, though specified there as just under 28 acres and with a sale price of $336,000.  The site lacks utilities, survey or other preliminary work, though the site is zoned hillside residential under Brea's Carbon Canyon Specific Plan and Hillside Management Ordinance.

The other parcel is just under an acre and is off Carbon Canyon Road near and opposite the La Vida Mineral Springs site.  A short dirt access road leads up to a flat lot just above the road, though the total parcel appears to include some of the steep hillside around the site.  It is not clear if there has been an existing MLS listing for this property, which may well have the same raw land status as the bigger parcel.