A spectacular piece of Cambria property with a military past is on the market for $4.375 million, according to various real estate websites.
The 34-acre hilltop parcel is the former site of a U.S. Air Force radio station.
“This unique property is surrounded by cattle ranches and the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy astounding panoramic ocean views,” a listing on Redfin.com reads.
According to the listing, a “former commander’s office” on the site was converted to a five-bedroom, two-bath home in 2003. There are also “lucrative cell tower leases in place with opportunity for more,” the listing says.
Now zoned for recreational use, the property was owned and operated by the Air Force from the 1940s until 1980. The former general surveillance radar station, about 3 miles south-southeast of Cambria, has a jaw-dropping 360-degree view of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountains.
During the station’s heyday, officers and enlisted men operated the station and scanned for enemy aircraft and missiles.
In their down time, the men enjoyed on-site amenities including a bowling alley, a movie theater, an outdoor basketball court and a putting green, according to a 1968 Telegram-Tribune article.
Some Cambrians remember when young people traveled to the site to fly model airplanes with the base commander, and other residents used to go there to bowl with the airmen.
Bernd Schaefers, a movie producer, bought the old military station for $2 million in 2004.
Asbestos was commonly used in construction of barracks and other buildings, as well as for pipe insulation. The mineral fiber was malleable and fireproof, but now is widely known as a carcinogen.
Asbestos is not harmful unless it is disturbed through construction or demolition and becomes airborne; long-term exposure can cause lung cancer.
A previous owner had received a $3.5 million estimate in the early 2000s for the cost to clean up the asbestos on the site, according to an incident report.
Later, a Cambria man was convicted and received a brief sentence to serve in San Luis Obispo County Jail for illegally removing the carcinogen and for doing unpermitted renovations at the Cold War-era military facility.
For details and photos about this “rare opportunity,” go to www.redfin.com/CA/Cambria/202-Monte-Cristo-Pl-93428/home/105514555. The listing agent is Jody Neal of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.
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