earlyretirement, it sounds like you have scoped out Santaluz pretty well. I’ve met the visionary architect who conceived it a decade ago when he explained his philosophy in a speech a year ago. It really will not be replicated this close to the coast because it is so low density and gated–two trends the planning authorities are discouraging.
The CC&Rs are wickedly demanding and bug some people who didn’t know they were giving up certain freedoms to live in Santaluz. You can’t paint your house non-approved colors, or change the architecture except in specified way while going through an expensive vetting process, or park a company pickup or van in your driveway, or have a barking dog, or leave your garbage bin out more than 48 hours, or put it anywhere in your yard visible from the street, or park your car in the street overnight (in parts of Santaluz), or have bright outdoor lights. On the latter point, Santaluz is a “dark sky” community, so driving around or taking walks at night is a unique experience. Not many places in San Diego can you truely see the moon and stars. My wife and I love all these restrictions–but they are clearly not for everyone.
