History of the Open Space

In the mid 1960’s, a group headed by Wes and Helen Heather purchased over 300 acres along Highway 50 in Camino, CA. Their intention was to build an 18 hole golf course with homes woven in between the fairways and greens in the area now known as Camino Heights and Camino Hills. At the time, about 50 or 60 homes were built, as well as a golf course, complete with a driving range. Shortly after however, the group ceased building new homes and abandoned the golf course due to lack of funding. Subsequently, the remaining residential land and the land of the golf course was divided into 6 large parcels to be sold by a national real estate company.

In 1975, a group of the original Camino Heights home owners led by Joe Flynn (a previous county supervisor) purchased one of the 6 parcels. This parcel was 41 acres and included the land previously occupied by the golf course. The remaining 5 parcels were sold, giving birth to the development of the Camino Hills subdivision, among other things.

Joe Flynn and the home owners were determined to protect their parcel of land from development to maintain an open space or future golf course for the current and future residents of the area. With a mission statement and bylaws in hand, they submitted articles to the state of CA and the non-profit corporation Camino Heights Community Services Inc. (CHCSI) was approved on December 29, 1975. To this day CHCSI exists to preserve and maintain the open space in the Camino Heights and Camino Hills communities.

The 41 acres purchased by CHCSI at the time included 7 residential lots. In order to pay-off the mortgage loan and maintain solvency on the open space, CHCSI sold these lots to a local contractor, who then built and sold 7 new custom homes between 1977-1979. The proceeds from this sale allowed CHCSI to pay off the loan against the property, allowing them to focus on the preservation of the remaining 39 acres of open space.

In 1988, two brothers and their friends opened a 9 hole golf course on the land. They entered into a lease with CHCSI, developed the course, and opened for business the following year. This was the first of many private parties who have leased the land over the years to run a golf course, the last of which was the Camino Heights Golf Course which ceased operations in September 2017. The privately owned clubhouse which sat adjacent to the open space was listed for sale, seeking a new owner to take over the golf course business, but none was found. Instead, the former clubhouse was sold to winery owners Eric & Emily Hays and is now home to Chateau Davell winery tasting room.

Without a maintained golf course, the land now sits as open space and is maintained by CHCSI’s member volunteers. CHCSI adheres to the original bylaws created by its founders which does not allow the land to be used or sold for residential use. As in the past, the land or a portion of the land, may be leased in the future to cover ownership and maintenance expenses as determined appropriate by CHCSI members.

For more information on how you can help, please see become a CHCSI member.