and now the crazies appear, the fan petitions, the fan donation pages to get money to buy Neverland, demonstrations outside Colony offices in New York… Is is any wonder they want to sell it , and be done with the Michael Jackson Fans!!!
Looking at this from a purely practical, emotionless side. The estate of Sycamore Valley / Neverland totaling around 3,00 acres is in a rural agricultural area. Whoever owns it needs to make it financially viable. Before Michael bought it, as well as the working ranch, it was also used as a filming location. Remember this is how Michael first saw it, as a location for the Say Say Say video. This is a very normal practice in California; many large rural estates allow filming on their land for a price, to bring in extra income.
Over the last 5 years, Colony have been using the estate for private hire. I very much doubt that when they took on the property they realized the full extent of the conditions of the zoning laws. They have put alot of money into the renovation and maintenance over the last 5 years and it looks like they have made a decision that the money coming in does not cover the money going out. Remember Colony are an investment company, they buy and sell emotionlessly all the time. To them this is an investment that is not viable, so they offload, nothing personal, just business.
It is very likely Colony wanted to open the property to the public. They know that like Graceland, people would pay to see the famous Neverland, especially after June 2009, with all the huge media hype and public interest. When they realized that this was not possible, I believe they have tried to keep money coming in the best they can, but now 5 years later they have had enough.
I really think the fan community are building this sale up too much, with wanting a superfan to buy it, so that it can stay the same. The reality is, that it will most likely become a vineyard or other profitable agricultural business, just like the rest of the area of Los Olivos / Santa Ynez.
It is possible that whoever buys the land around the main entrance may totally change the entrance and may not want fans visiting.
This sale will go ahead, and instead of burying their heads in the sand and petitioning Lady Gaga, or trying to club together to buy it, fans need to understand the reality of a 3,000 acre estate in a rural area owned by an investment company.
There is just so much mis information in the fan community, many fans not understanding the zoning laws or even knowing anything about the area and what the land in Los Olivos Santa Ynez is used for. Many fans twisting things to suit an agenda, who have never even been on Figueroa Mountain Road and seen how rural it is.
The fact remains; it is a property which is not making profit so the company which owns it wants to sell it. No amount of fan petitions will stop the sale. Fans cannot club together to buy it. It will be sold just like any other property in the Los Olivos area.