Amended King Ranch (KR) Road Maintenance (RM) FAQ

Doesn’t Monterey or SLO County maintain our internal roads?
No.  These are private roads.  The counties maintain only Ranchita Canyon Road here.

What is the KR RM agreement?
The original agreement (“Declaration of Obligation for Maintenance of Roads”) was accepted by all owners during their purchase from the developer KRLLC.  It requires all owners to be financially responsible for RM in equal shares for maintenance of the entire set of roads in KR.

Is participation in RM optional?
No.

What is the current status of the KR RM agreement?
The original agreement has been amended.  The KR RM agreement for the developed “front side” lots has been amended by a 75% vote of owners.  The “back side” lots on Claribel and Upper Douglas are now under a separate agreement.  

What is the current status of the amended KR RM agreement for our developed “front side “lots?
Under the amended agreement, the owners of the 41 “front side” lots have full responsibility and control for RM on the “front side” roads.  KRLLC remains the owner of three lots but has no special responsibility.

What needs to be done by the owners for RM?
Initially, the owners were responsible for electing a RM Committee of three members.

What does the RM Committee do?
This committee is responsible for yearly evaluation of the roads, collecting bids for needed maintenance, selecting the contractors and managing the work.  They then inform the owners of this and submit the assessments in equal shares to the owners for payment. There can be cases where an individual owner has caused damage to the road and the KRRMC will conduct the repair and bill the individual owner.

What are the yearly costs estimated to be per lot?
The current yearly assessment is $700 per year. There could also be special assessments.

Will there be maintenance and assessments every year in the future?
Not necessarily every year but the RM Committee has authority to make assessments based on documented estimates of future needs to smooth out the yearly costs.

Will owners have time to prepare financially for paying the assessments?
Under the precisely spelled out terms of the agreement, assessments are to be paid within 30 days.  However, the RM Committee should have estimates of the future assessments well in advance and there is nothing to prevent them from giving rough estimates up to a year or more in advance to provide owners time to prepare.  The period of validity of actual bids from contractors will limit the precise determination of future assessments.

What happens if I do not pay?
We should attempt to have reasonable people who will make every effort to resolve any issues.  However, the Unincorporated Association backing the RM Committee would have the power of enforcement up to and including placing liens on property.  

What is the current status of the amended KR RM agreement for the undeveloped “back side“ lots?
These lots are owned by the original developer KRLLC and current property owners.  They have a separate amended RM agreement.

Is there any provision for possible traffic impacts from the “back side” for the upkeep of Lower Douglas Road (between Barker and Ranchita Canyon)?
Yes.  The “back side” owners are responsible for a share of this one road’s maintenance expenses.