Astride rolling hills where views sweep to the San Diego coastline, the new village of Santaluz celebrates its Early California ranch heritage by preserving much of its natural terrain as open space.

In addition to preserving more than 1,000 untouched acres of open grasslands and native chaparral, Santaluz has instituted a series of revolutionary innovations for its remaining 2,800 acres, one of the last coastal properties of this scale in Southern California.

The Sentinels at Santaluz continues to win national and local acclaim, including two Gold Nugget Grand awards for design, awarded in June.

Since its debut late last summer, Santaluz has enjoyed consumer approval. The custom homesite has tallied 68 sales valued at more than $56 million since October 2001. Sized from six-tenths of an acre to more than two acres, homesites are priced from $500,000 to $1.6 million.

Five builders offering six different residential neighborhoods continue to post strong weekly sales activity and already 68 families have moved in throughout the village.

Design and industry professionals have also recognized Santaluz for achievement in architecture, engineering, land use and interior design. From the early California styling of individual homes to the curvilinear land plan, Santaluz has earned top honors at a national, regional and local level.

"The Village of Santaluz is what we like to call a heritage property, one that will leave its mark on the community for years to come," said Terry Randall, vice president of DMB Associates of Scottsdale, Ariz., a partner in the development of Santaluz with Taylor Woodrow Homes Inc.

"It's one of the last great, large parcels that exist in this part of California," he continued. "It's all about the luxury of space."

Santaluz master architect Bob Hidey agrees.

"That's what really distinguishes Santaluz from other communities," Hidey said. "Santaluz places a lot of emphasis on low density. It's a community made up of one unit for every four acres. That's a remarkable density in terms of modern day land planning."

Within the gates of Santaluz, residents will find a club lifestyle that is unparalleled in the region. An 11-acre Village Green provides residents a location for gatherings and events. The Hacienda, another centerpiece of the Santaluz community, unifies the village's recreational components within its hacienda setting. Now open to Santaluz members, the19,000-square-foot community center offers swimming, tennis and complete fitness and recreational facilities, including a hardwood-floor, indoor basketball court; a casual café, featuring Santaluz-blend coffee; and outdoor lounging areas that create a community gathering spot.

Opened in spring, the 7,110-yard, par 71 Santaluz Club championship golf course is designed by Rees Jones. Known for "environmentally friendly courses," Jones said he welcomed the Santaluz opportunity for a couple of reasons.

"We thought from the beginning that the land here is special, and a special golf course could be created on it," he said. "The land looks like California did 100 years ago, so we wanted to design a course that blended with the natural, native site. ... It's truly a great piece of ground. The holes are located in the valleys, the homesites on the hillsides, so it's an ideal site for both the residences and the golf."

[IMAGE=hacienda.gif CAPTION=The 19,000-square-foot Hacienda Santaluz is the centerpiece of the new Village of Santaluz, offering amenities such as the Fresh Roast coffee ship, full swim and fitness facility and a hardwood indoor basketball court.]

The Santaluz Clubhouse, scheduled to open in early 2004, will include spa facilities, men's and women's locker rooms, golf lounge areas, as well as fine and casual dining within its approximately 36,000 square feet.

One of the characteristics of Santaluz is the abundance of single-story floor plans, where low profiles, low building forms and low roof pitches are reminiscent of early California ranch homes.

Another benefit of the curvilinear homesites is the ability to orient homes to accentuate expansive views and coastal breezes.

Six new collections of homes have debuted at Santaluz since summer 2001, including:

* Spanish Bungalows by Christopher Homes rest along the northern perimeter of the Lazanja, surrounded by native landscaping. Three classic bungalow-style residences are offered, the largest being approximately 3,500 square feet and featuring up to five bedrooms. Homesites average more than 8,000 square feet.

* Garden Homes by D.R. Horton border a small creek and offer country-style living in four designs with up to four bedrooms and nearly 4,015 square feet of living area.

* Casitas by Taylor Woodrow Homes Inc. feature single-level comfort and Santa Barbara-style charm and character, encompassing three floor plans with exterior courtyards, ranging up to 2,340 square feet and three bedrooms.

* Posadas, also by Taylor Woodrow Homes Inc., boasts homesites averaging 55,000 square feet and a desirable location near the golf course and open space of La Jolla Valley. Three custom-caliber plans here range up to approximately 5,565 square feet of living space, with as many as five bedrooms.

* Haciendas Sur by Centex Homes presents golf course homesites averaging 25,000 square feet. Located in the Village Green area of Santaluz, these one- and two-story homes have up to four bedrooms and roughly 3,700 square feet.

* Sentinels by Baywood Homes occupy stately lookout locations, maximizing views overlooking the golf course and open space. The largest of these one- and two-story homes offers up to approximately 2,900 square feet and up to four bedrooms.

Percival Lipscomb is president of Scribe Communications.

Related Link

www.santaluz.com