Deep Well Ranch

Quorum Article - June 2006

Deep Well Ranch (DWR) is located on nearly 30 acres of fee simple land at 900 Deepwell Road in Palm Springs on the site of the former, world famous Deep Well Guest Ranch. It is one block North of the Ocotillo Lodge and Elmer's Pancake House on East Palm Canyon.

William Bone of Sunrise Development Company was the developer. Bill Bone was the builder of numerous developments in the Coachella Valley and DWR was his first.  The community comprises a total of 111 units, including 31 freestanding homes, 10 townhouses (2 stories) and 70 condos. It was built in three phases. Phase 1 was completed in 1969, Phase 2 in 1971 and Phase 3 in 1972.

The project was laid out in a concentric circular fashion with each phase being built around a pool/spa with well laid out deck space. The outer circle comprises freestanding, individual homes with private backyards. The inner circle units are in “pods” of 3, 4 or 5 units. There are three models of free standing homes, ranging from 2031 TO 2248 sq. ft. The condos come in six models ranging from 1638 to 1907 sq. ft. The townhouses range from 2054 to 2376 sq. ft. The facilities include one tennis court.

DWR has been in demand from the start, with units initially grabbed up as this was the first development of its type in the Valley. Original purchasers, many of whom are still owners, included older people and young married couples with children.

The entire property with its beautiful grounds and green belt areas is walled in behind a 24-hour manned guard gate. There are only two other developments in Palm Springs (Smoke Tree Ranch and Seven Lakes) with round the clock manned guard gates. Another distinguishing factor is that, while all the new development in Palm Springs is high density and with very little open space, DWR’s open and spacious low density makes the development that much more desirable. The result is that there are very few properties for sale within the complex and when they do appear on the market, they are sold very quickly.

The market in the last few years has been exceptional with the community generating a great deal of interest, especially among buyers who have come in and renovated the homes. Until recently this was a sleeper community,  a well kept secret. Now DWR homes are highly sought after for their spacious grounds, mountain views and mission style architecture. Unit prices have increased significantly. Just a few years ago, homes at DWR could have been purchased in the $200,000v to ­$500,000 range. Prices currently range from $400,000 to $729,000.

Homeowners particularly enjoy DWR’s quiet atmosphere, spacious and secluded grounds and gated security. An excellent location gives residents the feeling of living in the country while in the heart of Palm Springs. DWR is adjacent to the Biltmore Estates and the new Biltmore Colony and close to Smoke Tree Ranch Shopping Center, which offers a major market, post office, drug store, banks, various shops and dining facilities.

DWR is basically a mature community, but not restricted to those over 55. Homeowner careers include restaurant owner, psychologist, architect, real estate brokers, insurance agent, contractor, financial advisor, professional ice skater, actor, model, security administrator, builder, travel agent, Broadway singer, librarian, airline steward, doctor, school teacher, attorney and atomic physicist. Notables of the past who lived there were actress Tatum O'Neal and Leo Durocher of baseball fame. Full time residents comprise 60% of the population.

DWR’s homeowners association is active and strong. Owners take great pride in maintaining the prestige of this private enclave. Members volunteer to serve on the board and committees to assure the continued high visual appeal of the landscaping, the structural integrity of the architecture, the security of the 24-hour guarded gate, and the stability of solid finances.

 A seven member Board of Directors governs DWR. An additional non-voting member serves as the Parliamentarian. Several homeowners have served numerous terms as a member of the Board. A number of active and very interested committees support the board.

Committee members meet regularly, liaise with each other and report to the Board for decision-making. Committee members spend a great deal of time responding to homeowners’ requests, working with the management company and seeking ways to best serve the needs of the community as a whole as well as individual members.

Steve Perrin is President of the DWR Association. Says Steve, "A new Long Range Planning Committee has been organized to address the major issues of our community. The infrastructure of Deep Well Ranch is now 37 years old. Electrical, pools and spas, irrigation and landscaping are being scrutinized and prioritized; during the next year several of these projects will materialize.”

“We live in a community that will never be duplicated in Palm Springs again! We have 111 units on approximately 30 acres of land. The nearly completed Biltmore project has 153 units on 12 acres of land. We have seen our property values more than double in the past three years and with the Long Range Planning programmed improvement, that trend should continue."

The Long Range Planning Committee has the goal of maintaining and enhancing the original "esthetic concept" and the "underlying values" of the DWR complex. It is comprised of representatives of the architectural, maintenance, security, landscaping and audit and finance committees. The committee maintains a list of future DWR projects and works closely with the audit and finance committee on establishing priorities and availability of funds for the projects. The committee then reports its activities to the Board of Directors on a monthly basis.

There is a five member Landscape Committee. The Association maintains and coordinates landscaping in all common areas, in the patios and entries of attached residences, and in the front yards of perimeter homes. Over the past three years select and renovative pruning has beautifully enhanced the fully developed trees and shrubs throughout the property. Natural pruning, tailored to each tree and specific type of plant, has also resulted in mature plants whose floral displays change with the seasons.

The committee is looking to update the common area landscape design to be more water efficient and further harmonize with the authentic Early California Mission style of the homes. New landscape designs could complement large areas of turf with sweeping beds of decomposed granite, highlighted with flowering perennials, the existing mature trees, and sunny spaces for annual flowers. Some ideas for the main entryway landscape design are dry river rock streams flowing through contoured grounds and ending in "pools" surrounded by annual flowers.

To assist homeowners who wish to re-landscape their private residential lots, entries and patios, a custom Deep Well Ranch plant guide has been developed, which describes dozens of suitable and attractive plants from groundcovers to small trees, arranged by their mature sizes and exposure needs. Homeowners can also receive personal assistance in making appropriate plant choices and in arranging proper irrigation.

Raub Karr, Vice President and Chairman of the Maintenance Committee, states, "Over and above the usual ‘wearing’ out of components of the infrastructure in a complex this size, the inevitable problem you didn't think of will surface. In our case it was outdoor lighting!

37 years of underground wiring and fixtures had been maintained without the slightest suggestion that someday it all would have to be replaced. None of the wiring was placed in electrical conduit to allow for the pulling of new wires; close- to- the ground fixtures allowed only a minimum amount of radiating light for curbs and walkways and no thought was ever considered as to adding too many fixtures on each circuit. It became evident that we were ‘limping’ along with patch repairs and that the entire system had to be replaced!

Five Electrical Companies were solicited for bids to rewire the entire 30 acre complex and the general ‘guesstimate’ of cost was between $350,000 and $400,000 to complete the work. Working with the related committees of DWR, a new proposal for the work to be performed was created, that of reducing the miles and miles of wiring under the present system and to draw the electrical power directly from each of the 111 homes. The cost of wire, conduit and labor for trenching miles of lawns under walkways and driveways would bring the total cost down by 1/3.

This new proposal would be paid for from our Reserve Accounts and, hopefully, with no special assessment to any of the homeowners. Homeowners’ contribution would be the small monthly addition of about 49 cents to their electric bill for each light required at their residence. Electric supply to the common areas and walkways leading to the three pools and spas would continue to be paid by the HOA using the as-built plan.

All fixtures will use energy saving florescent bulbs with built-in sensors to turn the fixture on at night and off during the day. In addition, homeowners will receive a convenience outlet in their front yard, doing away with those long extension cords for Christmas lights each year.

The plan is a winning situation for the entire complex in its owner participation and a system that would allow the common area lighting to have future expansion for accent and decorative lighting at a later date.

Maintenance Committee projects have included the renovation of the pool/spa in Phase I with all new equipment installed. New landscaping around this pool area is yet to be done. The renovation of the Phase 2 and 3 pool/spas will be completed in stages.

There is a 7-member Architecture Committee. The Architecture Committee consists of 7 volunteer property owners, including a successful architectural designer and a structural engineer. They meet once a week for about an hour to walk around and inspect properties whose owners have submitted an Architectural Change Request.

Recently, the DWR Board of Directors ordered an in depth inspection of all wood components within the complex. Their concern was that there are a lot of ornamental wooden beams and rafters that have been exposed to the weather for the past 30 some years.

MC Builders surveyed the structures and submitted a report that showed years of rain penetration and severe sun exposure had taken its toll on the decorative ends of the exposed wood. The report also indicated that there were some termite infestations as well.

Late in 2005, the Architectural Committee notified homeowners of this specific problem and urged them to address the issue with a contractor of their choice. The repair of the roof and appurtenant structures is the responsibility of the homeowners under the CC&R's. Painting of the wood trim is the responsibility of the HOA, making the homeowners and HOA partners in the proper maintenance of the structures. To date approximately 30% have completed their work in preparing for the upcoming wood trim painting, and have so reported to management. Many owners have also completed other maintenance projects at the same time, including re-roofing, new yard gates and similar items.

The Architecture Committee, through its weekly walk-around, supervises the repair with guidelines for the damaged rafter/beam ends removal or replacement. In some cases, non-loading bearing rafters or beams have been approved for total removal. Owners are encouraged to include metal capping on any horizontal beam with direct exposure to the elements while completing this work.

When all repair work is completed, the wooden trim will be repainted throughout the complex. Stucco finishes will be repainted as determined necessary by regular inspection by the Architecture Committee. All painting is paid for from the HOA reserve accounts.

The Audit and Finance Committee meets monthly, reviews financial statements, proposed project expenditures, and other financial matters and reports monthly to the Board of Directors. The committee acts as a liaison to the accounting department of the management company and interviews potential auditors for the annual audit and recommends selection to the Board. The committee also reviews a draft of the annual audit, and makes suggestions or corrections for the approval by the Board. This committee works with the management company in implementing systems for "accountability" in the reviewing, approving and payment of monthly invoices.

Association dues are $455 per month. The last increase was in January 2004. Vendors include Securitas, Dewey Pest Control, Peters and Freedman, Springs Painting, and Robert Tuvell, CPA. The Monarch Group provides management services. Nona Del Bene is the Association Manager. Nona walks the entire complex with Landscape Committee on a bi-weekly basis. She observes and records work orders not only for the Landscape Committee, but for any occurring maintenance problems as well.

Says Nona, "This is a forward looking community. It is a delight to work with a concerned and energetic group of people!”

“My hat is off to the President who encouraged the formation of community committees! The committees make the difference! They have come together to organize a cohesive, comprehensive plan to bring the community into the 21^st Century. The six committees have cooperated in a working plan to replace lighting fixtures, renovate pools and equipment, redesign the entrance landscaping and secure the back entrance. In addition the committees have encouraged unit owners to repair wood areas that need attention so that a painting project can be scheduled. Many small projects, too numerous to mention, are in the works. These committees are the backbone of a well-maintained mature community that will continually look good. Bravo, Deep Well Ranch Homeowners Association!!"