DAVENPORT, Calif. -- The scenic beachfront area known as the Coast Dairies property was added to the California State Park System on Friday.

The unique, 7,000-acre property surrounds the town of Davenport. The land will be split between the state and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Agriculture.

The area includes the Panther and Bonny Doon beaches, and the Davenport Bluffs -- spots that are usually missed by motorists zooming along Highway 1 but have been used by the locals for decades.

As a state park, the area will gain visibility.

"I think it's always a good thing when beautiful coastal lands are open to the public and managed in a way to help them stay as natural as they can be and stay against developing it for private business," business owner Rebecca Lundberg said.

Davenport's 200 residents have mixed feelings about the transition, but some said they believe it will resolve some long-running problems.

"Not so much tourists, but parties that go on on the beaches. We come home after going to a movie, and it will definitely help out the community with state park rangers around," Davenport resident Reynaldo Olivas said.

It will take at least a year before an official plan is in place to manage the area.

"We plan to do an intermediate plan and ultimately a general plan, where we talk to the community about the whole thing. So I don't see a lot of change in the near future, and I see a lot of discussion over the next months and years ahead," state parks spokesman Dave Vincent said.

The state has $16.5 million in its budget for the operation and hiring of new personnel for the coastal park.