In the spirit of ongoing process improvement, the Board of Directors and the Architectural Committee recently refined and approved objectives and an overall philosophy on how the community will govern architectural standards in the future and to ensure that design principles and criteria are in effect which will promote Encinitas Ranch to retain its quality, character, and overall value. This work was done based on feedback from homeowners and a desire to better align our architectural standards and processes with their interests.

The intent now is to take these new objectives and philosophy and integrate them into the existing Architectural Standards and processes that were adopted in April of 2017. After this effort is completed the revised standards will be shared with the membership for their input before being formally adopted by the board. The timeline to complete this is the fall of this year.

Objectives

• Encourage well maintained and attractive homes and front yards
• Encourage homes that take advantage of current design trends and technologies
• Develop and implement architectural standards and guidelines that are easy to access and understand
• Motivate homeowners to understand and follow the architectural standards and guidelines
• Ensure that any new exterior improvement will have a neutral or positive impact on the use, value and enjoyment of neighboring properties and Community Common Areas
• Minimize traffic and parking impacts

Philosophy

• Overall
  • Develop and implement common sense architectural standards that promote well maintained and attractive homes
  • Minimize processes, complexity and fees associated with making home improvements
  • Create an environment that encourages owners to implement improvements that take advantage of design trends and technologies
• Front Yards – Require an application with detailed description, general dimensions and materials for significant hardscape or landscape improvements, e.g. drought tolerant landscaping; initial review of the application may necessitate additional details
• Backyards – Require applications only for such improvements that could impair views or of such scale that they could affect neighboring homes in a negative manner, including any improvements requiring a city permit; if there is any such potential impact a detailed description, general dimensions and materials must be submitted for review as part of the application
• Paint – Require applications if the homeowner is planning on changing their color scheme
• Remodels – Require applications for any home remodel impacting the exterior of the home
• Permits – It is up to the owner to ensure that they meet all local building code requirements and secure any necessary building permits