What are the responsibilities of Keystone Pacific's Architectural Desk?
The staff members working the architectural desk for Keystone Pacific process anywhere from 50 to 100+ plan submittals a day.
Keystone Pacific staff members do not review plans.
The staff members working the architectural desk for Keystone Pacific only make sure the application has been completed and submitted with your plans, a review fee/deposit check has been submitted (if applicable) and the correct number of plans have been submitted. This information is then forwarded to the party responsible for reviewing plans on behalf of the association.
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Who is responsible to review your plans?
Your association CC&R’s contain a section devoted to architectural review, which indicates how many members need to be appointed to a committee and/or whether or not this task can be delegated to a third party consultant. Some CC&R’s give the committee the right to delegate this task to a qualified third party consultant.
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Who makes the final decision on approval or denial?
The designated party responsible for reviewing plans.
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How do I find out how much time the committee has to review my plans?
Your CC&R’s will provide this information and/or the architectural guidelines. Review periods vary from 30 to 90+ days. This means the committee and/or third party consultant can take up to that many days to review your plans. Sometimes it doesn’t take that long, but nothing can be guaranteed. Keystone Pacific has no jurisdiction over the committee members or the third party consultant. The committee is appointed by the Board of Directors and works at the pleasure of the Board and the third party consultant is retained by the Board of Directors on behalf of the association.
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What if my plans are denied – do I have to wait another 30-90+ days for review?
Yes, each time a plan is resubmitted the time frame allowed for the review process starts over.
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Why can’t you “rush” the review upon request?
Keystone Pacific has no jurisdiction over the time constraints of the committee and/or third party consultant. As a courtesy, we can include a note requesting the appropriate party to “rush” the plan review, but we cannot guarantee this will occur.
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Can’t I pay for a “rush” review?
This policy would need to be adopted by the Board of Directors and could only realistically be implemented if a third party consultant were being employed. This concept would not be feasible with a volunteer homeowner committee.
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What do I do if the plans are not back yet and the time period for review is past?
Place a call to Keystone Pacific’s architectural desk at (949) 838-3239 or e-mail architectural@keystonepacific.com to request information. Some CC&R’s require the request be made in writing and then allows the committee 15 or more days to respond before your plans are deemed approved.
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Why can’t I contact the reviewer directly with my questions?
The third party consultant would be inundated with calls, thus taking away from their limited time to actually perform reviews in a timely manner. Homeowner committee members are volunteers and therefore their personal information cannot be provided. All questions can be submitted in writing and will be forwarded to the appropriate party and a response will be provided in writing.
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Who pays for the qualified consultant to review the plans?
The association pays for this service. If a third party consultant is contracted to review plans on behalf of the association, the fees are paid via your submittal fee. The CC&R’s typically give the association the right to collect fees in order to offset the costs related to plan review costs when a third party consultant is utilized.
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Why can’t Keystone Pacific give me approval?
Keystone Pacific is an independent third party managing agent and has no authority to review, approve or deny plans on behalf of any association. The only responsibility of Keystone Pacific is to make sure the application has been completed and submitted with your plans, a review fee/deposit check has been submitted (if applicable) and the correct number of plans have been submitted. This information is then forwarded to the party responsible for reviewing plans on behalf of the association. Keystone Pacific also takes receipt of the plans from either the committee and/or third party consultant and then notifies the homeowner of the decision.
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Why can’t Keystone Pacific give me the decision over the phone?
A plan review usually results in many comments from the reviewing party. In order to avoid any miscommunication, Keystone Pacific has a policy that all decisions made by either the committee and/or third party consultant must be communicated in writing.
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Can I pick my plans up?
If you would like to pick your plans up, you need to notify the staff members at the architectural desk and every effort will be made to accommodate this request.
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Why can’t my contractor call and get the information or pick up my plans for me?
Unless the homeowner provides written authorization for a specific person to receive information on their behalf, Keystone Pacific can only communicate with the homeowner. All decisions must be mailed to the homeowner’s mailing address on file.
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Why can’t Keystone Pacific give me interpretation of the guidelines or at least give me a general idea of whether my idea will be approved?
The details on any given set of architectural guidelines cannot possibly be known by the one person answering the phone at the architectural desk. Keystone Pacific would be guessing if they tried to assist someone in answering questions about the guidelines. As a homeowner, you will need to consult with the professional assisting you with your plans regarding any questions you have pertaining to the guidelines.
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If I want to make changes to my approved plan, do I have to re-submit?
Yes, any plan changes need to be submitted for approval.
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If I am just painting my house the same colors, do I have to submit for review?
The safest bet is to submit. Many association documents require submittal regardless of whether or not the existing paint color is being used. Some documents do not require an architectural application to be submitted to repaint the existing color, however, you should refer to your architectural guidelines for the answer to this question or contact your community association manager.
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Why are site photos sometimes required?
Depending on the complexity of the improvements, the committee and/or third party consultant needs a point of reference when visualizing the project you are proposing.
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What does a Neighbor Awareness form do for you?
A Neighbor Awareness form is merely a means of notifying your neighbors that you plan to make exterior modifications to your home. Your neighbor does not have the right to approve or deny proposed modifications to your home, but they do have the right to be aware and make comments for the reviewing party to consider. The committee and/or third party consultant is required to approve your plans if they meet the architectural guidelines.
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Why use a Neighbor Awareness form if it doesn’t influence the review?
Some associations utilize this form, as it is believed it keeps people informed. Some think it allows the owner the opportunity to modify proposed changes if their neighbor has a concern. There are several associations that do not require a Neighbor Awareness form. You need to check your architectural guidelines and/or architectural application to determine whether or not your association requires this form.
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How many signatures are required on the Neighbor Awareness form?
If you are on a single loaded street, meaning you have no neighbors across the street from you, then you only need your neighbors to the left, right and behind you. If you are on a double loaded street, meaning you have neighbors across the street, you need your neighbors to the left, right, behind you and across from you. Any property that touches your property should be signing your form. NOTE: Some associations also require signatures on the actual plans.
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What would happen if I just leave a signature off the form or have a neighbor sign a few doors down, versus my immediate neighbors?
Leaving a signature off the form or getting a distant neighbor to sign may void your plan approval if later challenged.
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What if my neighbor is a renter?
You may indicate this on the form and you should also mail a letter via certified mail to the address anyway notifying the owner of the property of your intentions to submit for exterior modifications. Provide a copy of the letter and returned receipt with your application.
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What do I need to do after my improvements are finished?
When complete, fill out the notice of completion form and attach photos of the improvements from all angles. You can e-mail these photos to architectural@keystonepacific.com or mail a hard copy. Keep in mind that the photos should show set back requirements met (use a tape measure in your photo) and needs to show the overview of the improvements. The committee and/or third party consultant will take these photos and compare them to your plans to make sure all was installed per plan.
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Where do I get the notice of completion form?
If your Association has a web site, it will be under the architectural section or forms section. If not, e-mail architectural@keystonepacific.com and request one be e-mailed to you. If no e-mail, call (949) 838-3239 and ask that one be mailed to you, or provide a fax number in which it can be sent.
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How difficult is it to get my notice of completion signed off?
If you installed per plan and provide pictures of all improvements it is very easy. If you didn’t install a tree that was on your plan, expect to be told to install it – in the size and species you put on your plans. Anything that wasn’t installed per plan will hold up your notice of completion approval.
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Can a site visit be performed in place of a notice of completion?
Site visits could be performed in place of a photo Notice of Completion review only if you are willing to pay, in advance, the cost for the third party consultant to perform the review. If your review is performed by a homeowner committee, you could request this; however it would be up to the committee/board to do this and most likely this would not happen due to the time involved.
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What if my notice of completion keeps getting denied, what do I do?
The best thing to do is to do everything on the list of issues pointed out to you. If you feel you have completed those items, then you should address your concerns with the Board. If you have no plans to complete all of the items on the list, then you should resubmit your plans showing only what you actually installed. The Board of Directors does have the right to call you to hearing and assess fines if you choose to ignore the notification to correct items. Most CC&R’s give homeowners 30 days to correct issues. After this, the Board can move forward with hearings and fines.
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How soon can I get my deposit back once my notice of completion is approved?
Associations cut checks once a month. If you happened to obtain approval for your notice of completion right after a check run was issued, you would have to wait until the following month, which could take up to 45 days.
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What if I do not agree with the reviewer’s decision?
You may fill out a variance/appeal form that will go to your Board of Directors for review and consideration, if the governing documents of the association allow for this. Some documents do not and the final authority lies with the committee. There is sometimes a fee required for these requests when a third party consultant is being utilized, which must be paid to the Association prior to the work being performed.
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