The Montecito Water District last month filed a lawsuit against the owner of a private property on Park Lane, alleging that the owner is blocking access to the district’s reservoir.

The owner is not allowing district staff and related workers to travel through the private property as they have historically done, the lawsuit alleges.

Since 1924, the district has accessed the Park Lane Water Reservoir — which is located on landlocked property owned by the district — by traveling through private property located at 809 Park Lane, court documents state.

The reservoir property is surrounded by the 809 Park Lane property and a third property on the northwestern side; it can be accessed only by traveling through 809 Park Lane, according to court documents. 

The district has historically used three main access routes and two parking spurs on the 809 Park Lane property to access the reservoir. 

The owners of 809 Park Lane are listed as Miradero LLC. Agents for Miradero LLC had not filed a response to the lawsuit with the court as of Friday. Noozhawk requests for comment sent to a law firm that has previously represented Miradero LLC in this matter have not been returned. 

Before 1924, the reservoir property and what is now known as 809 Park Lane were one property. 

It was owned by Frederic Ives Carpenter, who split the property and granted the reservoir land to the district with the agreement that the district keep up with maintenance and other relevant duties, according to court documents. 

That agreement also included a pipeline easement related to pipeline construction and maintenance, per court documents. 

Since 1924, the district and the current and prior owners of 809 Park Lane have “cooperated in the maintenance and operation of the District’s Park Lane Water Reservoir pursuant to existing access agreements,” Montecito Water District General Manager Nicholas Turner told Noozhawk in an email.

However, the reservoir now needs a new roof and other related fixes.

Under a project expected to take 18 months, the district would demolish the old roof, remove it and install a new one, and pour new concrete for the new walls and roof. 

Of the two parking areas on the 809 Park Lane property that the district has historically used, one would be used to park construction worker vehicles, and the other for concrete-laying trucks while concrete is poured. 

The project has undergone public outreach and environmental review. The district also has relevant construction and funding agreements in place.

Construction would take place from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Documents state that the project “will be up the hill” and screened by foliage and elevation. 

The district further alleges that residents and guests at 809 Park Lane “will not be disturbed by significant construction noise, dust or vibrations.”

According to court documents, after the district informed the 809 Park Lane property owners of roof project plans, the property owner objected, arguing that the project is more than the allowed maintenance outlined in the 1924 agreement. 

The owner is now “blocking access to the property, which is preventing the district from moving forward with the project,” court documents allege.

In a June 2025 letter sent from law firm Polsinelli, a lawyer who said the firm represents Miradero LLC argues that the roof project “would go far beyond the limited rights granted” in the 1924 agreement.

The district disagrees.  

“The objection by defendant that the project is more than mere maintenance ignores the fact that maintenance requires from time to time the replacement of facilities and their components to keep them operating properly,” court documents state.

“The district has been operating and maintaining the reservoir for over one hundred years. It is time for a new roof and other improvements. That the reservoir would eventually need a new roof and other improvements, just like a house, should be no surprise to defendant.”

The district is unlikely to take on a similar project in the reservoir area “in another similar period,” per court documents. 

The Miradero LLC lawyer also argues that the district, as outlined in the 1924 agreement, is only allowed to access 809 Park Lane through one small strip of land for pipeline construction and maintenance.

Court documents allege this is the first time since 1924 the district has been blocked from accessing 809 Park Lane. 

“Despite this long-standing working relationship, the district and the current property owner are unable to agree on whether those agreements authorize access for a new reservoir maintenance project necessary to ensure continued water service to the community,” Turner said in an email.

The district is asking the court to determine the “scope of access rights and the appropriate path for completing the project,” Turner said.

A case management conference is set for May.