GENERAL SESSION PRESENTATION ON LANDSCAPING RENOVATIONS PREPARED BY CCHOA PLANNING COMMITTEE

GENERAL SESSION PRESENTATION
ON
LANDSCAPING RENOVATIONS

PREPARED BY
CCHOA PLANNING COMMITTEE'S
SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS

PRESENTED
11/17/03 7:30 pm
CITRUS CLUBHOUSE

COMMITTEE CHAIR
Tom Morton

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS
Keith House         Al Reavill
Sheila House     Bob Wolcott
Lyle Manchik   Pam Wolcott
Doug Plescia

Tonight we are presenting, in various levels of detail, the plan for renovating virtually all of the landscaping in the common areas of the Citrus community - basically everything, but the golf course and the clubhouse area. These "common areas" are the responsibility of the Citrus Course Homeowners Association ("HOA"). The golf course and clubhouse area are, of course, the responsibility of KSL.

But, before we begin, we need to define the difference between Landscape Design, and Landscape Maintenance. Landscape Maintenance is, as the name implies, the routine maintenance of all existing landscaping. Oversight of maintenance services is the responsibility of the Landscape Committee. The Committee makes recommendations to the HOA Board on how, for example, their budget for the Annual Color Program could most effectively be used, they oversee the work of the landscape service contractors, and they approve landscaping redesign proposals for individual front yards. They are not, however, responsible for the development of major design changes for the HOA's common areas - entries, parks, lakes, inside and outside perimeter, etc.

Recognizing that the Citrus has experienced more security incidents than it would like, and that the common area landscaping has reached a level of maturity that requires substantial reinvestment, the HOA Board ("the Board") created a Planning Committee comprised of two separate subcommittees. One that focuses on improving security operations and performance, and another that focuses on community infrastructure improvements, such as landscape rehabilitation and design.

The Community Improvements Subcommittee ("the Subcommittee"), was formed in May of this year, and has recently completed its assessment of the current condition of all common area landscaping. Based on that assessment, they have developed recommendations that will enable the Board to achieve its primary purpose - that is, protecting and enhancing the quality of the environment we live in, and protecting and enhancing the value of our homes.

To facilitate the assessment effort and the preparation of rehabilitation plans, the Subcommittee divided the areas of interest into four categories:

1. The entrances.
2. The outer perimeter (the area between the exterior perimeter walls and the street).
3. The interior parkways (the area between the perimeter walls and our interior streets); plus the parks, lakes, and the streets themselves.
4. The Homeowner's front yards.

The Subcommittee then prioritized, based on certain criteria, the order that the rehabilitation of each of these areas should be addressed - this resulted in the identification of program phases. From their assessment work, it was concluded that the entrances represented the best opportunity to maximize "cost effective" impact; that is, given the amount of money currently available, the Subcommittee concluded that this is the area they would yield the biggest benefit from rehabilitation.

Having determined that renovation of both entrances would be its first priority - Phase I, the Subcommittee did an evaluation of each entrance to formulate a vision of what the new design plans should address. I would like to highlight for you some of the principal observations resulting from that effort.

The Subcommittee felt that the Jefferson Street entrance is, potentially, one of the most striking entrances in the valley for the following reasons:

1. It has one of the longest driveways from street to guardhouse.
2. It has 7 rows of mature Date Palms running the entire length of the drive.
3. The guardhouse is offset so an incoming driver can't initially see it and is therefore directed to other features of the entrance.
4. The architectural detail of the raised planters, entrance walls, and the guardhouse with its bell tower, are attractive, unique, and consistent with the Colonial Spanish theme of the La Quinta Resort & Club.

Unfortunately, the negatives that the Subcommittee observed were equally striking. Following is a list of the most significant observations:

1. The Pamilla perimeter wall and existing trees cut off visibility of our entrance from southbound traffic - people often drive by the entry before noticing the turn.
2. The perimeter landscaping and the entrance landscaping are exceptionally flat, minimizing the interest and appearance of anything planted on it.
3. The design, size, and placement of the monument sign, in the outer median, is a focal point of the entrance that does not necessarily present the Club's, or the HOA's, best face to the entering public.
4. The lighting on the palms, which lacks uniformity, is too close to the base of the trees to properly light up the palm fronds, and only marginally lights up the bougainvillea surrounds.
5. The bougainvillea surrounds on the palms do not receive sufficient sunlight to fill in properly and consequently have a sparse and underdeveloped look.
6. The interior of the drive's perimeter walls is bare and nondescript.
7. California Pepper trees are haphazardly planted and disrupt the pattern of the rows of palm trees.
8. Within the entrance area, there is little annual color and, what is there, provides insufficient impact for what should be an impressive entry.
9. The dramatic benefits of using water features, as a design element, are totally absent.
10. The architectural grillwork on the guard house is covered with vines, while the white stucco of its exterior is bare and nondescript.
11. There is no particular focal point for a driver as he approaches the end of the long driveway.

Turning to the 52nd entrance, the Subcommittee feels this is, potentially, one of the nicest "second" entrances to a country club in the valley. On the "upside":

1. It has many of the same distinguishing architectural elements found at the Jefferson Street entrance - curved walls and raised planters, all with unique red brick trim, etc.
2. It's defined by two substantial groves of mature Date Palms.
3. The guardhouse, with its high arched window is very an attractive Spanish Colonial, styled structure.
4. Its sweeping entrance and plant material are consistent with the Jefferson Street entrance.

Regrettably, this entrance also exhibits significant shortcomings:

1. The lighting of the plant material varies from sub-standard to non-existent.
2. The Date Palm grove on the east side of the entrance has 16 fewer trees than the one on the west - providing architectural imbalance.
3. The flow of the terrain in the entrance area is, like the Jefferson Street entrance, totally flat and unimaginative.
4. There is only limited use of annual color, that's visible from the street, and it lacks significant impact.

Based on these observations, the Subcommittee concluded that an extraordinary opportunity exists to renovate both of these entrances, so that they could dramatically increase the aesthetic appeal of our community's first impression.

With the help of landscape architects, designers and installers, lighting and water feature consultants, and input from the Board and some of its standing committees, a plan for redesigning both of these entrances ("the Phase I Project") has been developed and refined to a level that merits dissemination to the membership at large. Accordingly, we have scheduled this presentation. It is noted that the Subcommittee will have other presentations as their plans mature; thus, continuing its dialogue with the membership and its involvement in the development of these new and exciting rehabilitation projects. Soon, with the approval of the Board and your support, the Subcommittee hopes to move into the construction of this initial phase. Now, I would like to point out some of the more salient features of Phase I:

At the Jefferson Street entrance:

1. To improve visibility, the Subcommittee is proposing the removal of the first two existing Chinese Elm trees on either side of the entrance.
2. Extensive mounding is planned on both sides of the entrances near Jefferson Street and on the median between the driveways to provide topographical enhancements and the visual impact of annual color.
3. On those mounds nearest the street, a vibrant mix of annual color will be used to better define the entrance.
4. The weak bougainvillea will be removed from all of the palms located in the shady area along the drive to the guardhouse.
5. The base of each palm, in the center median and the first row on either side of the drive, will be encircled with a manicured Japanese Boxwood hedge. The boxwood in the center median will be encircled with two rings of annual flowers in solid high impact colors.
6. The palm trees in all 7 rows along the drive will be up-lit with new commercial grade fixtures, mounted 15' above the ground, creating a nighttime tropical canopy over the entire entrance area.
7. The palms in the center median will have two up-lights and two down-lights to surround, at night, drivers with uniform ambient light and to light-up the annual color at the base of the palms.
8. Most of the existing California Pepper Trees will be removed as they are prone to wind damage and are non-uniform in growth pattern and location. Those located around the guardhouse will be replaced, most likely with multiple trunk Fichus trees.
9. Calliandra vines, a plant used throughout the Citrus, will be installed to breakup the long run of the interior perimeter walls on each side of the drive.
10. Centered at the end of the entrance drive will be a new focal point. Drivers approaching the guardhouse will be impacted by a 9' high, three tier, traditional Spanish fountain, standing within a 12' diameter basin, placed on an 18" mound and surrounded by a 5' ring of annual flowers. The fountain will be lit at night and engineered to move a substantial volume of water, thus creating both a strong visual and acoustical effect.
11. In keeping with the theme of the Citrus, new citrus trees will be planted on gentle 24" high mounds covered with annual flowers. This landscape feature will be centered between the first two rows of palms on either side of the driveway to provide a visual buffer to houses constructed on the other side of the interior perimeter walls. Each citrus will be lit at night for additional visual effect.
12. The vines covering up the grillwork of the guardhouse tower will be removed and new, fragrant, Jasmine vines will cover the stucco of the guardhouse exterior.
13. The tower, attached to the guardhouse, will be lit from within at night, and it is contemplated that an antique brass bell will be installed, to give added interest and a Spanish authenticity to the structure.
14. The small sentry houses, as you first enter the drive, will also be lit from within at night.
15. A new "signature" water feature is being considered for the median where the current monument sign resides. The Subcommittee has initiated discussions with KSL to contribute to the funding of this water feature as well as other elements of the Phase I renovation project.

Despite the more limited scale of the 52nd Street entrance, the Phase I plan calls for duplicating virtually all of the design elements utilized at the Jefferson Street entrance, including a three tier fountain in front of the guardhouse. The goal is to make our back entrance more charming than most clubs' front entrances.

The major elements of this renovation include:

1. The use of mounted plantings to present a higher impact of annual color as a driver approaches the guardhouse from 52nd St.
2. The balancing of the palm groves on either side of the entrance.
3. The use of mounded citrus trees, on the outside of the palm grove, with rings of annual color, to continue the theme of the Jefferson entrance.
4. The extension of the median peninsula on the 52 side of the guard house and the inclusion of the three tiered fountain similar, but at an appropriate scale, to the one proposed at the Jefferson entry. Plus the replacement of the existing focus Pepper tree with a substantial Fichus tree.
5. Ambient and focused lighting will be added to increases the drama and sense of expansiveness of the entry at night.
6. Up and down lighten will added to the Date Palms on the Cetrino island to make it more a part of the overall entry at night.

There is one important design element the Subcommittee incorporated into its plans for the entrances that most likely will have to be deferred to a later phase due to budgetary considerations; that is, bands of pavers on the driveways and a circle of pavers at the intersection of Pomelo, the Club access, and Mandarina. While it is understood that textured paving adds a significant aesthetic value to a driveway design, the estimated cost of its inclusion is so substantial that the Board does not feel it can afford both the paving and all the other improvements currently being considered. Consequently, when you study the plans, you'll see that they are notes indicating that the pavers will be installed in a later phase.

Now, let's talk about those other phases and how the Subcommittee proposes to pay for them.

1. Phase II will include a major upgrade of the outer perimeter landscaping - that is, the area between the perimeter walls and the street outside of the Citrus property.

2. Phase III will include numerous upgrades to the landscaping and lighting in the parks, medians, the interior space between the perimeter walls and the interior streets. Specifically, the project will include the upgrading of plant material and trees, the addition of water features, and the addition of significant ambient and focused lighting. This phase represents a substantial effort and may itself have to be done in sub-phases in order to accommodate cost constraints. This work will add a substantial aesthetic appeal to the property, as well as, an improvement to our overall security.

3. Phase IV will address the upgrading of the landscaping and lighting in the front yards of our homes. Some homeowners have already, at their own expense, voluntarily improved their front yard landscaping, while others have not, and still others have no need to, as the builder provided landscaping will most probably meet or exceed our minimum standard. Procedurally, the implementation of this phase is complex and is still in its formative stages. Also, funding formulas for this phase still need to be carefully addressed to assure equity among homeowners.

As previously stated, if the Phase I project is approved by the Board, it will be paid for using existing funds that have been set aside for this purpose. The source of these funds is primarily from one time payments that the Board has negotiated from various community developers. To complete Phases II through IV, a modest increase in HOA fees, in each of the next two fiscal years, may be required. The design approach to and the cost of these follow-on Phases will be presented to the membership prior to their submission to the Board for approval.

Any need for assessment increases to support them, will, of course, be reviewed by the Board in their annual budget review process, and will require their approval. The Subcommittee, in support of any funding request, will provide the results of its ongoing study of comparable HOA fees at other comparable clubs.

The timeframe for signing contracts and completing the renovations detailed in Phase I is approximately 10 weeks from now. So, by the end of January, we expect to have the appearance of both entrances to the Citrus dramatically improved - improved to a level that should instill a new level of pride and satisfaction in every homeowner that resides here. These improvements will also represent the first major step in your HOA's efforts to raise the appeal of the Citrus, so profoundly, that it can't help but enhance the value of the homes located here.

The completion of all four phases of the renovation program will, hopefully, enable the Citrus, our community, to achieve its full potential. We have wonderful homes, an outstanding golf course, exceptionally friendly members, and a lovely, intimate clubhouse. Once we bring our grounds and infrastructure up to a more contemporary standard, we'll be able to assume our rightful place as one of the most desirable community's in the desert.

We thank you for your interest. Now, I will be happy to take your questions...