In 1994, Jack Nicholson donated 60 acres that could have become four homes, preserving Los Angeles wildlife habitat

In 1994, Jack Nicholson made a quiet decision that helped keep a valuable piece of the Santa Monica Mountains from becoming another residential development. The actor donated 60 acres of undeveloped land in Coldwater Canyon to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, protecting a wooded ridgeline above Studio City for public conservation.

The land could have taken a very different path. A four-lot subdivision had already been approved for the property, meaning four homes could have eventually occupied the site. Instead, Nicholson’s donation helped preserve the acreage as open space and wildlife habitat.

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A rare piece of undeveloped land in Los Angeles

The 60-acre property was located in the hills above Studio City, with frontage along the north side of Mulholland Drive and the west side of Coldwater Canyon Boulevard.

At the time, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy described the property as an undeveloped ridgeline containing native oak woodland and habitat for deer. It was considered one of the larger remaining stretches of undeveloped land in that part of the Santa Monica Mountains.