Martinez in extended talks to purchase Alhambra Highlands open space

The city of Martinez and a Texas-based real estate company have formally agreed to keep negotiating for a sale of 297 acres of hilly land south of state Highway 4 — property believed to have been part of environmentalist John Muir’s estate — for preservation as open space.

The Martinez City Council, at an April 1 special meeting, approved an agreement to continue negotiations with the Richfield Real Estate Corporation for the purchase of the land between Alhambra Avenue and Alhambra Valley Road. It is about a mile south of the home of Muir, which is now a National Park Service historical site.