Rancho Santa Fe Association board briefs, Sept. 20 meeting

Riding Club to receive upgrade

The Rancho Santa Fe Riding Club is getting a little facelift. At its Sept. 20 board meeting, the RSF Association approved renovations and aesthetic improvements to the 11-acre club on Rambla de las Flores.

“It’s going to be a nice enhancement,” said Arnold Green, building commissioner.

The club will be going back to its old colors of white with green trim, a small balcony will be added to the front of the clubhouse, and some brick siding to part of the structure.

Several wooden trellises will be added throughout the property to provide shade for gathering places. The barns will also get a fresh coat of paint, replacement wood siding and the addition of cupolas as an architectural feature.

The Art Jury approved the changes with the conditions that landscaping screens the project from off-site.

“I want to congratulate the board of the Riding Club, especially Larry (Spitcaufsky) who’s been working on this for a long time,” said Director Ann Boon.

Board opposes Crosby Enclave

The Rancho Santa Fe Association Board voted unanimously to oppose a specific plan amendment for a housing development on a 5-acre parcel off Del Dios Highway.

The Association had concerns about the density and visual impact of California West Communities’ proposal for 13 two-story homes on Del Dios Highway and Bing Crosby Boulevard, called Crosby Enclave.

“While this is located outside the Covenant, it’s fairly common for the Association to look at adjacent development and see if there will be a negative impact,” Assistant Manager Ivan Holler said, “This type of development, all two-story homes, is not consistent with the character of the corridor. The density wouldn’t be a problem if it was located in the right area.”

The proposed development is located outside the main gate of the Crosby. The 13, single-family detached homes would be built on 7,000 to 8,000-square-foot lots. The site’s specific plan currently allows for just three single family homes and the specific plan amendment would allow them to increase the density on the site, as well as transfer 10 dwelling units from inside the Crosby to outside the development.

The RSF Association staff had concerns about the density of the revised plan and visual impact.

“Just about all the rooftops would be visible from Del Dios Highway,” said Chris Livoni, associate planner. “This density is not seen elsewhere on the Del Dios corridor.”

In addition to the visual impact, the 10 additional homes would likely add to traffic on the highway. Holler explained that having the 10 homes removed from the inside of the Crosby affects traffic patterns as they would have to enter and exit onto Del Dios while homes inside the Crosby have multiple access points.

Manager Pete Smith noted that the Association was involved in the original planning for the Crosby and this particular slice of property had an option for a small commercial center and a recreational field. That option expired in 2008 to the Association’s disappointment and the allowed use for three single-family detached homes took its place.

Timed parking approved for La Granada

After years where the curbs were illegally painted green to create timed parking spaces, the Rancho Santa Fe Association has approved official timed parking for the northeastern corner of La Granada and Paseo Delicias.

The approval will bring four, two-hour stalls to the road near Delicias restaurant.

After reviewing previous parking surveys and a request from the property owner, Association staff determined the addition of timed parking wouldn’t be detrimental to maintaining the balance of timed and un-timed parking in the village.