Covenant Design Review board having busy year

The Rancho Santa Fe Association’s Covenant Design Review Committee (CDRC) is on pace to review 450 projects this fiscal year, according to Building Commissioner Tom Farrar. Farrar said they not only have a lot of really exciting residential projects coming through but they are especially excited about the new village commercial building on La Granada and El Tordo that will house an expanded RSF Pharmacy.

The project went through its second CDRC workshop on May 2. The challenge with the project is in its rooftop parking — the CDRC is working to ensure that none of the parking is visible from any angle on the street. The committee also had concerns about access to the ramp up to the rooftop during off-hours and asked the developers to consider gates or ballards.

As Farrar noted during his report at the May 4 Association board meeting, the CDRC itself is also undergoing a review, working on ways to improve the process and make it more efficient.

The board is reviewing its regulations on topics such as water features, grading, outdoor lighting, animal-keeping permits and landscaping. The CDRC is also considering retail incentives to bring more village commercial projects and is taking a look at its building permit timeframes, ensuring that the timeframes reflect the scope of the projects.

Farrar said the committee is also considering revising the residential design guidelines which were created in 1991 and include some outdated information. Farrar said they are looking at guidelines to edit or embellish as appropriate.