Controversial plans to relocate a popular Central Coast hiking trail from private to public land can now move forward.
Arguments regarding the Ontario Ridge Trail on the San Luis Obispo County coast are focused on access and safety.
In a close three-to-two vote, the County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday afternoon to give landowner consent to move the trail.
Robert McCarthy owns the property where the trail now runs and said he wants a safer route for hikers.
"I think that we can build an alternative trail that's a lot safer for the public and I think the staff ... all understand that cutting the slope significantly down will lessen the chance for injuries and it'll be a lot safer," he said.
However, Tarren Collins, who also spoke to the board, said the current trail is the product of years of hikers searching for the best path.
"It doesn't take rocket science to figure out that the people have gravitated to where they want to hike and this is an asset that you're holding on behalf of the public," she said.
Supervisor Adam Hill agreed, saying he was skeptical of claims that the current trail is unsafe.
"You're suggesting somehow it's unsafe or it's dangerous and yet, somehow, miraculously hundreds of people seem to be hiking it all the time and doing so quite safely," he said.
The trail, located between Shell Beach and Avila, is a popular location for hikers and has been for roughly half a century.
The fight over trail placement escalated in recent years when the landowners put up signs and fencing near their property deterring hikers.
In 2014, the California Coastal Commission unanimously ordered their removal.
This newest development does not necessarily mean the trail will be moved, but does give the landowners the ability to do so.
