1964 - Shelter Cove resort development announced
Shelter Cove’s developers announced its birth in 1964 - 2,500 acres, 4,200 home sites, 3,300 ft. airstrip, 1,500 acres for parks, open space. They had spent a couple of years on permits/plans/maps and all the other requirements of Humboldt County and the State of California, and still had some work ahead.
 
1970 - King Range National Conservation Area created
A spectacular meeting of land and sea is certainly the dominant feature of the King Range National Conservation Area. Mountains seem to thrust straight out of the surf; a precipitous rise unsurpassed on the continental U.S. coastline. King Peak, the highest point at 4,087 feet, is only three miles from the ocean. The King Range covers 60,000 acres and extends along 35 miles of coastline between the mouth of the Mattole River and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park.
 
1976 - California Coastal Commission and Coastal Conservancy created
Shelter Cove was just 10 years old when California passed Proposition 20, in 1976, creating the California Coastal Commission and the Coastal Conservancy. What followed was a 'HALT' of all construction, demands for studies for further use, and a threat to the continued existence of Shelter Cove as a private property community.
 
1980 - Coastal Commission plans to turn Shelter Cove into a State Park
Plans “toll booth” at the entrance, and stop to all private home development.
 
1981 - Shelter Cove Property Owners Association formed
After many difficult years of working with the Regional Coastal Commission and Coastal Conservancy, the property owners of Shelter Cove were very concerned that their dream could be taken away. In 1981, members of the committee of property owners, which had been working with members of the Regional Coastal Commission, voted to form a legal organization. They discussed names, and Mario Machi simply said, "Call it the Shelter Cove Property Owners Association." His suggestion was approved by unanimous vote.

1985 - California Coastal Conservancy purchases property
The Regional Coastal Conservancy attempts to buy waterfront property -- at very low prices -- for public use.  The directors of SCPOA resist, and finally the SCPOA was victorious when local property owners are offered generous prices for some of their waterfront property, and regional agencies purchased land set aside as open space and parks for public use, ¾ to be owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. 

Shelter Cove could once again continue its development. SCPOA had worked hard to ensure that its members were protected and that Shelter Cove had a bright future.  In December 1985 all the Regional and State Agencies signed off on the final plan, and once again property owners were free to pursue their construction plans. 
 
Now, more than 30 years after that historic event, property values in Shelter Cove have increased dramatically, and a variety of great homes and businesses have been built.  The natural beauty of the Lost Coast and the King Range will help to ensure that Shelter Cove continues to be a magnificent destination for visitors and homeowners in the future.

​​Shelter Cove Property Owners Association
​Working to protect your property's value
​A California non-profit corporation
Copyright 2006 - 2024

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