ENCINITAS — A wealthy resident, foundation or business now has the chance to leave their mark on the Gateway Property at the San Elijo Lagoon.
For $1 million, the naming rights to the 3.4-acre Gateway Property, located at the north end of Solana Beach and on the east side of Coast Highway 101, can be acquired.
“This is a rare opportunity and helps us raise money for the land,” said Doug Gibson, executive director of the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy (SELC).
The SELC is offering the naming rights as part of a larger effort that began earlier this year to pay back lenders, Gibson said.
The SELC bought the Gateway Property late last year to preserve the wildlife, habitat and corridor views.
Financing for the $3.8 million purchase was provided by private individuals, who the SELC aims to repay with fundraising.
In addition to the naming rights, the SELC is asking for $2,500 from individuals to secure their name on a monument to be created on the Gateway Property.
“We have determined what form the monument will take,” Gibson said. “No matter what it is, it will be a way to leave a legacy.”
For more than 20 years, those traveling Coast Highway 101 between Cardiff-by-the-Sea and Solana Beach witnessed poles signaling commercial development along the coastal lands.
But the poles are no more, because the SELC bought the property to protect it from developers, Gibson said.
As well as raising money, the SELC is busy trying to encourage wildlife growth and put together an environmental impact report that’s due next spring, Gibson said.
