City of Santa Clarita officials hosted a dedication and ribbon cutting Wednesday to celebrate the acquisition and protection of Gateway Ranch, a 302-acre property once planned for major housing development.

Santa Clarita Valley residents and community hiking groups joined Mayor Laurene Weste, Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean, several city council members and Trust for Public Land officials for the ceremony, refreshments and a guided hike.

“(Gateway Ranch) is now part of the city of Santa Clarita’s Open Space Preservation District and protected from building indefinitely,” stated a city news release. “The dedication will place the open space in public ownership to be preserved and enjoyed in perpetuity as a protected wildlife corridor and part of the city of Santa Clarita’s southern greenbelt.”

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The dedication is part of city officials’ continued efforts to preserve the greenbelt and undeveloped land within and outside the city, officials said.

City council members described their vote to acquire Gateway Ranch last year as “a victory for the entire valley.”

Approximately 8,000 acres of Santa Clarita Valley land is currently protected open space for recreational use.