Residents have until end of year to purchase Oswit Canyon land

Developers and local residents have reached an agreement which would allow the latter group to raise funds to purchase Oswit Canyon lands for preservation. 

The deal was announced Thursday morning. Residents will have until the end of the year to raise the funds needed to purchase the tract of land, or else developers would proceed with plans to build.

According to  Save Oswit Canyon Inc.'s website, the magic number needed by December 31 is $1,000,000. 

Oswit Canyon has been the center of much debate for years, as developers sought to build a development with upwards of 260 homes and a flood control structure 'the size of the Empire State Building' along South Palm Canyon Drive near the south trailhead of Lykken Trail, according to a news release from the organization.

"We will not let one shovel touch this soil. We will not lose this pristine canyon, which is home to bighorn sheep just so an Orange County builder can come in and make millions of dollars and leave," Save Oswit Canyon spokesperson Jane Garrison told News Channel 3 in March 2016.

Work first began on the project in 2006. Those opposed to the project contended that the developers were using an outdated environmental impact report from 1991 to proceed with plans. 

Anyone interested in making a contribution to help fund the purchase of Oswit Canyon can go here.