Open space surrounding San Luis Obispo may grow exponentially later this year as the city looks into purchasing nearly 1,875 acres of ranch land. The land, including nearly 1,300 acres of the Miossi Brothers La Cuesta Ranch next to Cuesta Park and stretching north east sharing a western and southern boundary with Cal Poly, and 575 acres of the Ahearn Family Ranch located off of Stagecoach Road in Cuesta Canyon, will serve as part of the Green Belt Protective Program and protect the headwaters of San Luis Creek. Collectively, the two parcels will form the proposed Cuesta Canyon Natural Reserve and provide 841 acres of publicly accessible city open space. Consistent with the recently adopted city goal of protecting and maintaining open space, the city council authorized up to $50,000 for appraisal services in January to move the project forward. The deadline for appraisal proposals was earlier this month with plans to start the process in March and be completed later this summer.