Dear Editor,
I am a longtime resident of Rancho Santa Fe. My family chose to live here because we valued the peaceful, rural character of this unique community – a character protected by the Rancho Santa Fe Protective Covenant and reinforced through the work of the Art Jury, of which I am a former member.
That is why I am so concerned about what has taken place at a neighboring property on the corner of Lago Lindo and El Montevideo. This home has been under extensive renovation, for eight months – apparently outside the RSFA’s design review and permitting process. The one exception was an as-built application for the swimming pool which was submitted after the pool was completed
The changes to the property are remarkable and in sharp contrast to what would normally be approved in the Covenant. Among them:
- Natural stone cladding painted white on the home and entry pilasters.
- Established entry landscaping was removed and new entry trees planted without an approved landscape plan.
- Windows and doors altered or replaced without apparent approval.
- Additions made to the home without apparent approval.
- Pool equipment relocated adjacent to a neighboring property without an enclosure, creating a new source of noise.
- Extensive grading and construction of an elevated building pad without apparent approval.
- A large cabana/pool house constructed on that elevated pad, highly visible from neighboring properties and the street.
But the most recent addition – and the one that has brought this issue to a new level – is the enormous cabana that has now been constructed on an elevated building pad for an unapproved pool house visible from neighbors and the street.
Anyone driving down Lago Lindo can see just how prominent this structure has become. Its elevated position makes it appear even larger, and it has a substantial visual impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
The Art Jury plays an important role in preserving what makes Rancho Santa Fe special. Projects are reviewed carefully, step by step, with the goal of helping homeowners and new neighbors meet the community’s well-established design standards. At the heart of that process is a fundamental principle: protecting the character of our community.
That character affects all of us. It is part of what makes Rancho Santa Fe desirable, and it inevitably affects property values as well.
Why were our established procedures bypassed?
The Building Department’s review process exists for a reason. Before a major structure is built, the Art Jury has the opportunity to evaluate its size, placement, height, mass, materials and relationship to neighboring properties. Story poles are often required so the visual impact of a proposed structure can be understood before construction begins.
Had that process taken place before this cabana was being built, the community and the Art Jury could have evaluated whether the design and location was appropriate. Instead, we are now being asked to consider an almost completed structure.
Build first and seek approval after?
This raises a question for all of us: What message does it send if residents can build first, and get approval afterwards? If the rules and design review process are important – and I believe they are – then they need to apply equally to everyone. Otherwise, the people who follow the rules are placed at a disadvantage to those who do not.
I hope the Art Jury will carefully consider this situation and the precedent it establishes. The cabana should not simply be accepted because it has already been constructed. The fact that something has been built should not eliminate the review that should have occurred beforehand.
We rely on the Protective Covenant and the Art Jury to preserve the unique character of Rancho Santa Fe – not just for today’s residents, but for generations to come. If we allow the process to become “build first and ask permission later,” we risk losing the very qualities that made Rancho Santa Fe worth protecting in the first place.
Is This the Precedent We Want to Set?
Is this the direction we want for the Ranch? Or do we want to continue honoring the rules, standards and review process that have helped make this community what it is today? This is not about being opposed to improvements or new neighbors. Rancho Santa Fe has always evolved. It is about how that evolution takes place – and whether the rules and review process that protect the Covenant apply equally to everyone. – Inside the Rocks
P.S. The Art Jury will consider how these unapproved renovations should be addressed on Tuesday, August 25, at 12:45 p.m. I am asking Covenant friends and neighbors who are concerned about this growing trend – and the precedent it could set for future projects – to attend the meeting or submit member input at me*********@************on.org.