Lantana Lodge

 Quorum Article - April  2003

Lantana Lodge is a self-managed condominium community located at 314 E. Stevens Road in North Palm Springs. Vista Chino and Indian Canyon are the nearest main cross streets. The "Nude Bridge" that crosses Indian Canyon is the most prominent local landmark.

Say Lantana Lodge homeowners, "This is a little bit of heaven tucked away in Palm Springs that most people just don’t know about." It is close to Desert Regional Hospital, handy for the local antique shops, and only a short driving distance to stores, casino, and restaurants. All but two Lantana Lodge owners are full time residents.

Originally a hotel, built in 1947 when small hotels were popular, Lantana Lodge was converted into 14 studio and one-bedroom condo units in 1965. It lies on about a half acre of fee land. The subdivider’s marketing was directed mainly at people in the Southern California beach area, who liked to spend weekends in Palm Springs and would be attracted to a permanent weekend retreat.

The condos are contained in one single story building surrounding a courtyard swimming pool on three sides, motel-style. Every unit is different and sizes range from 200 square feet to 800 square feet. All feature private backyard patios. The complex is gated from the street and parking is in parking stalls immediately off the street. Facilities include the pool and a laundry room.

With only 14 units, Lantana Lodge comprises a rather small market. At the time of this writing, a 600 square foot unit is on the market for $65,000. And a 300 square foot unit is offered at $55,000. These are truly inexpensive get-away-places.

Utilities, except for cable, are included in the HOA dues. Since Lantana Lodge was originally a hotel, there is a single electric meter and homeowners benefit from commercial rates. Edison did a survey of the units and their individual air-conditioning equipment and determined the percentage of consumption for which each unit is responsible. Each unit is surcharged depending on their individual use of energy. Thus HOA dues range from $81 for a unit that is only rarely used to $390 (including the utility surcharge) for a larger unit that is lived in full time.

Lantana Lodge has always been self-managed. Self-management has its challenges and the current Board of Directors will readily agree that being self-managed can also mean being mismanaged. Indeed up until about 2000 this was the case.

When it was subdivided into condos in 1965, the Department of Real Estate was not involved. Lantana Lodge had no CC&Rs and no By-Laws. No formal meetings were held. Consequently maintenance issues were not properly addressed. However, in 2000 a strong and informed Board was elected and was determined to set matters straight. In 2001 CC&Rs were adopted that, among other things, made the HOA responsible for roof maintenance.

Previously, while there had always been wonderful cooperation among the homeowners, planning had been lacking. It had been necessary to special assess to get projects done. Now there are planning sessions. The Association’s vendors are invited to meetings to help the Board prioritize special projects and properly build and utilize the reserve fund. Vendors include Aqua Clean Pools and Golden State Laundry Service, who have provided new laundry equipment under a long-term maintenance agreement. Resident tenants volunteer for landscaping and regular cleanup work

Turning things around has been an educational experience for everyone. The five-member Board of Directors, which also serves as the Architectural Committee, and the HOA members have learned two major lessons. First, Board members need to know what to do and how to follow through. Second, the members have come to understand the heavy commitment of time and effort that is required of conscientious Board members.

Lantana Lodge deeply appreciates the educational role played by CAI in helping them turn their admittedly mismanaged association into a well-managed, self-managed Association. They give particular kudos to Gen Wangler of Fiore, Racobs and Powers, who really set them on the right course. For good reason, Lantana Lodge knows Gen as "Gem" Wangler. Other local CAI luminaries, including Steve Shuey and Carol Fulton, have also been generous with their advice. Board members attend the CAI breakfasts and ABC courses and find great value in them.