Villa de Las Flores

Quorum Article - November 1999

Villas de Las Flores is a 252 unit condominium complex on Golf Club Drive in Palm Springs. Until a few years ago it was known as "New Horizons," the name the builders gave the area. However, the name change, reflected in the entryway sign, is highly appropriate given the Award for Excellence in Landscape Design & Maintenance this community has received from the Pacific Landscape Guild for its outstanding landscape and floral presentation.

Villas de Las Flores occupies approximately 22 acres of fee simple land in a strategic location close to the corridor between the attractions of down town Palm Springs and the new town centers being built in Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage. The more established shopping and entertainment center of Palm Desert is only a little beyond that. The community is adjacent to the Tahquitz Creek municipal golf course and the fire station and area emergency centers are close by. While it is not gated this has never been an issue in an area reporting very low rates of crime

Construction took place in the 1970s and produced a combination of two bedroom/two bathroom villas and three bedroom/three bathroom townhouses. Unit sizes range from approximately 1,100 to 1,500 square feet. Car parking is in covered carports. Villas de Las Flores is popular for both year-round homeowners and seasonal renters. Sales prices for the units over the past year have ranged from the high $80,000s to the high $90,000s. HOA dues are $225/mo and include water, trash and common area maintenance.

The community is abundantly provided with 11 pool areas. The unique layout of the complex, with not more than 25 units sharing a pool area, gives a feeling of separate, intimate communities within the overall community. While the layout of the buildings gives a feeling of privacy, a generous greenbelt and wide streets give a complementary feeling of spaciousness. The architect was careful to maximize mountain and golf course views from the units and from the pool areas.

Community facilities include a clubhouse for meetings and parties. The clubhouse features a separate sauna room. There are two spas and four lighted tennis courts, where the homeowners association sponsors fall and spring tournaments.

Villas de Las Flores is a maturing community. The Association’s Board of Directors has addressed problems associated with this maturity, including the replacement of overgrown shrubs, the introduction of modern gardening techniques and selective tree pruning methods. The Board is very conscious of the need to maintain and upgrade the complex in order to be able to compete successfully with new developments in the Desert. While Villas de Las Flores will always have the advantage of a prime central location, there can be no "resting on laurels."

In the past few years the Board has replaced the pavement of the streets and parking lots; provided "facelifts" for the carports, included new fascia and foam roof covering. It has installed new front doors and new signage and has redesigned the landscaping, including the all-important statement made at the entryway.

The Board is guided and assisted in its efforts by Property Manager Diane Duffy of Professional Association Management. Diane said of this complex, "What makes this a unique community is that it has a panel of nine board members, all of whom work in unity and closely with management to resolve homeowner concerns. When there have been major undertakings, such as all of the parking lots being completely overhauled, the homeowners have really come together and cooperated with contractors to get the job done."

Homeowner Association President Doug Siebes concurred with Diane that the nine board members work very well as a team. He is very proud of the substantial reserves this association has built up over the years. He remarked that in its 25-year history a special assessment has been a very rare event. Doug also noted that for California generally and this resort area in particular, it is rare for an association to have 30% of its owners who are original owners from 25 years ago!