Art Jury Review Procedures

Architectural Studies Based on the Rancho Santa Fe Covenant Application/Construction Forms & Information Rancho Santa Fe Publications

Art Jury Meeting Schedule and Minutes
Application Submittals
Story Poles
Site Visit
"Approximate Time" Conference Appointments
Art Jury Decisions
Construction Permits, Inspections and Occupancy
Regulations/Guidelines

A. Art Jury Meeting Schedule
Art Jury meetings are generally held on Tuesdays after the Rancho Santa Fe Board of Directors meetings. A schedule of meetings is available HERE or at the Association Office. The Art Jury Minutes are available on the Member Pages.

B. Application Submittals
Submittals for a particular Art Jury meeting are accepted at any time up to the submittal deadline. The 2009-2010 Schedule is available HERE or at the Association office.It is strongly recommended that design professionals be engaged to prepare the application. Project plans and information should be complete and legible in order to allow the Art Jury to make a proper evaluation of the project. Incomplete applications may be rejected by staff or deferred by the Art Jury. Lists of basic application information requirements are available at the Association Offices. For larger or more complex projects, additional information may be requested to fully explain the project. Association staff is available to answer questions regarding the development application review process at the Association office or by phone at 858-756-1174.

1. Workshop Application
Workshop Applications are mandatory for all new residences, horse-keeping, tennis courts and new commercial buildings. The Art Jury also reserves the right to require a Workshop Application for any project, at any point, depending on the issues involved. Workshop applications may not be necessary for smaller, less complex projects with few issues. Please check with staff if in doubt.The objective for this workshop is to exchange information and to identify issues which require consideration early in the design process. Any Art Jury issues and comments that result from this workshop will be provided in a letter. The applicant may be able to attend this meeting (see "Approximate Time" Conference Appointments below).

• STORY POLES

Story poles are used to depict the elevations and silhouette of a proposed structure or an addition to an existing building. They are intended to aid neighbors, staff, and decision-makers in their evaluation of a proposed project. Story poles are required for projects that propose a new structure, a second story addition, or any addition exceeding 2000 square feet. Story poles may also be requested to assist the Art Jury in other circumstances. In the event story poles are not erected, or not adequately erected, the applicant may be requested to erect poles by staff. The project will then be continued to give the Art Jury time to review the proposed project based on the story poles. View the PDF HERE.

2. Preliminary Application
Application for additions in excess of 2,000 square feet must be submitted first as a Preliminary application and subsequently as a final submittal. This preliminary review application should also be used where unique proposals would be served by the Art Jury's conceptual approval in advance of the preparation of final plans. All other submittals are processed solely as Final Submittals.

3. Final Submittals
Final Submittals are made up of the final construction drawings, final grading, landscaping and lighting plans and are required to be approved by the Art Jury after the approval of a Preliminary application. All the final plans should be submitted together and must be in conformance with the Preliminary application drawings.

C. Site Visit
The Art Jury and staff will normally make a site visit during the Art Jury meeting prior to the date that the project appears on the agenda. The project site should be accessible for site visits by staff and the Art Jury. If an appointment is necessary in order to provide access, Association staff must be informed at the time of the submittal. The applicant's presence during the site visit is not required.

 

D. "Approximate Time" Conference Appointments
Due to time constraints, a limited number of "approximate time" conference appointments are available for applicants and their representatives to attend the Art Jury meeting. These "approximate time" conference appointments are allocated first to Appeals and advisory items to the Board of Directors, then to workshops, and then to other applications on a first-come-first-served basis.

A conference appointment will be assigned between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on the regularly-scheduled meeting day. The applicant will be informed of the approximate conference time prior to the Art Jury meeting. If the available conferences have already been allocated, additional requests will be placed on the "on-call" list and applicants will be notified (before the meeting) if a conference time becomes available. View the Art Jury appointment Request Form & Policy HERE.

E. Art Jury Decisions
After the Art Jury meeting, a decision letter specifying items such as the conditions of approval, amount of fees due, and any additional requirements is prepared, signed by the Art Jury Secretary and mailed to the applicant the Thursday following the meeting. During letter preparation the applicant or representative may obtain basic decision information (i.e. that the application has been approved, conditionally approved, deferred or denied) by phone from the Rancho Santa Fe Association Offices. Specifics of the decision will be contained in the decision letter.

F. Construction Permits, Inspections and Occupancy
Upon final approval (and signature by the applicant of the standard conditions form if necessary) a permit card will be issued. Five inspections are typically conducted by the Association during construction of a new residence as follows:

1. Grading
2. Forms
3. Framing
4. Final inspection
5. Landscape inspection

The Construction Permit card should be reviewed for the specific inspections required for the project. At the appropriate time, please call Rancho Santa Fe Association (858) 756-1174 and request an inspection indicating the type of inspection and the name of the property owner. The project must be finished and all construction debris and construction signs should be removed from the site before a final inspection will be made. A structure may not be occupied until the final inspection has been completed and approved (Protective Covenant, Paragraph 152).

G. Regulations/Guidelines
In addition to referring to the Covenant and the Rancho Santa Fe Regulatory Code, applicants should also consult the following documents:

Residential Design Guidelines
This booklet is the result of a community consensus project to define acceptable standards for site development, architecture and landscaping. It is intended for use by members, builders, architects, decision-makers and staff to guide residential development so that future permit approvals will work to maintain the traditional rural and understated character of the community. It is also intended to provide applicants and their design professionals with guidance that will enhance the likelihood of application approval.

The Art Jury will rely on these guidelines as an important tool in determining the appropriateness of development proposals. Applicants and their design professionals are strongly encouraged to implement the design and development concepts and objectives contained in these important Association-adopted Guidelines. Fundamentally, the Guidelines serve as a descriptive explanation of the Association's goals, objectives and requirements as contained in the Association's governing document and Regulatory Code.

For the complete Residential Design Guidelines Booklet, please see Ranch Santa Fe Publications.

Lily Awards
The Lily Awards are given each year for architecture and land improvements, which exemplifies the "high artistic result" decreed by the Covenant. These coveted awards are named for Lilian Rice, a notable early ranch architect. In the years since the publication of the Residential Design Guidelines in 1991 and the awards inception in 1993, the Lily has served to present models of the community's standards as well as example of acceptable architectural styles.

Rancho Santa Fe Covenant property owners receive a beautiful crystal trophy engraved with a lily. The respective architects, designers, builders and landscape architects are awarded certificates recognizing their talents for the projects, and for their contribution to the preservation of the community character through sensitive, traditional designs.

These awards are given by the Association at the Annual Meeting that is held in May. For more information, contact Mr. Robert Green, Building Commissioner.

Village Commercial District Architectural Design Guidelines
Applicants for building permits within the Village Commercial District should review the Village Commercial District Architectural Design Guidelines and the Village Commercial District Design and Development Regulation.