Silvergate Rancho Santa Fe Development Team Continues Outreach to Packed House

Silvergate Rancho Santa Fe, the highly anticipated resort-style retirement community proposed for development at the crossroads of Via De La Valle and Avenida Del Bosque, hosted a second owner Meet & Greet Gathering earlier this month at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The outreach event, attended by a packed house of enthusiastic seniors from the Ranch, provided a platform for attendees to hear directly from the project owners about the benefits of bringing senior living to the Ranch.

Chief Executive Officer, David Petree, delivered insightful remarks addressing the key questions of “Why here, Why Now, and Why us?” in his presentation to Covenant attendees. His explanations shed light on the unique zoning of the proposed site and how the project honors the original intended use of the land.

Why Here:

Petree highlighted the historical context of Rancho Santa Fe’s inception, noting the visionary planning of Lillian Rice, an accomplished architect and land planning expert, who created the original plans for the community’s thoughtful design in the early 1920’s. In accordance with her designations for land use, the proposed development site’s existing Class “C” zoning aligns with Rice’s careful vision of allowing for greater density along the outer perimeter of the Covenant boundary at this location.

Why Now:

According to Petree, developing this piece of property now will provide local seniors with an ability to remain in the community they know and love rather than having to seek senior living options outside of the Ranch. No other vacant property of this size with Class “C” zoning exists in the Ranch, making this development a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to add a critical asset to the community. If something else is built at this location, there will never be another viable site large enough within the Ranch for a resort-style senior living community of this type. It’s now or never.

Why Us:

Petree emphasized the strength of the company’s expertise in developing projects of this kind along with the company’s nearly 40 years in business as a local owner/operator of multiple retirement communities. In addition, the company plans to harness the enormous success of its most recent resort-style senior living community in Rancho Bernardo to serve as the blueprint for the Rancho Santa Fe project which it will customize to meet the unique needs of seniors in the Ranch.

“Right now is the time for residents in the Ranch to support Silvergate and seize the opportunity to have a resort-style retirement community developed in Rancho Santa Fe,” said Petree, whose family-owned and operated business includes a collection of senior living communities in Fallbrook, San Marcos and Rancho Bernardo. “If this land were developed into a single estate or even multiple estates, the opportunity to build a luxury retirement property of this size, scope and vision in the Ranch would be lost forever. This project offers the highest and best use of the land, provides seniors with a step-down retirement destination befitting of the Ranch and ultimately serves the entire community.”

A comprehensive description of the primary advantages of building a resort-style retirement community in the Ranch was given by Greg Petree, who serves as President of AmeriCare Health & Retirement, Inc. and oversees daily operations of the company’s other retirement communities. His talk focused on four key benefits for Rancho Santa Fe, including:

Providing seniors an opportunity to remain the in Ranch as they age;
Generating new revenue — to tune of $150,000+ annually – for the R.S.F. Association;
Supporting the long-term viability of the Ranch as new families buy homes from seniors who relocate to Silvergate for retirement;
Beautifying and transforming a gateway entrance to the Ranch that has long stood neglected.

“If seniors who have lived in the Ranch for many years had a choice, they wouldn’t leave the place where their friends are, where their kids went to school, where their church and local organizations are. They would stay,” said Petree, who has watched seniors find peace of mind living in a robust senior living environment. “We’re finding tremendous interest in this project which is certainly evidenced by the more than 250 people now on our Wait List, nearly 100 of whom are seniors from right here in the Covenant.”

The presentation then transitioned to remarks from Matt Petree, the company’s CFO and V.P. of Development, who will spearhead the design and development of the new Silvergate property. He presented a project overview and an update on the development timeline, indicating that the next step in the process involves a review of the plans by the Rancho Santa Fe Art Jury in the spring to demonstrate compliance with Rancho Santa Fe’s Class “C” zoning regulations.

“We’ll be basing the design of the Silvergate Rancho Santa Fe community on the highly successful model we employed at our resort-style Rancho Bernardo campus,” said Petree. “This design has resulted in a more than two-year wait list at our Rancho Bernardo site. We’re excited about having the ability to dream big with this project and customize it over nearly 30 acres with amenities attractive to and expected by downsizing seniors in the Ranch. The unit sizes will be among the largest industry, ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 square feet with two- and three-bedroom floorplans exclusively. When it’s built, this promises to be one of the most luxurious, beautiful and resort retirement communities in Southern California.”

Local Covenant Members Express Support

The standing-room-only crowd showcased the community’s strong support for the project. The widespread anticipation and enthusiasm for the project has the developers hopeful that the Rancho Santa Fe Art Jury will greenlight the project for construction later this year.

“We are of a certain age now and looking to make a change to our lifestyle,” said Susan Brown, who has lived with her husband Steve Brown in the local area for more than 45 years. “This community seems like a great opportunity to keep us in the area near our neighbors and friends and we can continue to have the lifestyle we’ve been so fortunate to enjoy all of these years.”

“I attended the talk on the proposed Silvergate Retirement Community. I am totally in favor of this project in the Covenant,” said Kathi Mallick who has called Rancho Santa Fe home since 1990. “For at least 10 years now, my husband and I have had frequent conversations with friends about growing old in Rancho Santa Fe, and how increasingly difficult it is to maintain our large properties. But, the conversations always end with ‘where will we go?’ I believe this project does not compete with our community…It completes our community.”

Silvergate Continues Local Outreach Efforts

Silvergate’s team has actively shared plans for the project and solicited public input from local residents at several owner Meet & Greet Gatherings as well as giving presentations to local organizations since November 2023. Silvergate will continue to host more Meet & Greet briefings with the next presentation set for Thursday, June 13^th, 2024. To RSVP, call Christine Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications for AmeriCare, at (858) 342-6057.

How to Join the Growing Wait List

To follow the Silvergate Rancho Santa Fe’s progress or join the community Wait List, sign up on the website at SilvergateRR.com/RSF. Website visitors can view the newest renderings, see the project timeline and find answers to frequently asked questions.