L.A. County's largest development.

After four years of meticulous planning and design, final plans have been unveiled for Ritter Ranch, the 10,625-acre master-planned community that is the largest project under active development in terms of land area in Los Angeles County, according to Peter Wenner, general manager for Ritter Ranch.

Located in the scenic Sierra Pelona Mountains at the western edge of Southern California's burgeoning Antelope Valley, Ritter Ranch is scheduled to commence the first phase of construction in the winter of 1993 and will be the future home to 20,000 residents within 7,200 units ranging from attached and entry-level single family homes, to luxury and equestrian estates.

According to Wenner, Ritter Ranch is being developed in response to research indicating Southern Californian's desire to return to a blend of many of the qualities found in small towns across America, while at the same time providing for the needs of the 21st Century's dynamic lifestyle.

Hence the traditional architecture, covered bridges, stone fences, the community square, the 85 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails, the preservation of natural hill tops and the 7,500 acres of permanent natural open space. This pleasantly contrasts with the highly-desired amenities of the 21st Century including a Robert von Hagge-designed 18-hole championship golf course with clubhouse, a 38-acre equestrian center, a swim center designed for competitive use, retail amenities designed in neo-traditional style architecture, and easy freeway accessibility.

Growth is expected to occur in the Antelope Valley through the year 2000, primarily because population (335,000 by 1996) and housing demand (3,000 average units per year) figures will remain strong; median household income is rising (20 percent by 1995); local export-oriented companies, will continue to increase; the employment opportunities in the emerging employment centers in Santa Clarita and Valencia and the already established employment center of the San Fernando Valley, will continue to grow; and developments such as Ritter Ranch, increasingly are becoming popular among homebuyers who are comforted by the security of a long-term, master-planned community and view it as a safer investment in today's unstable market.

The success of the project also centers on the results of a survey of 24,000 Antelope Valley homes conducted by Ritter Ranch that helped set the agenda for the project and a concept that is unprecedented in the Antelope Valley. "We learned from the survey that a developer's sensitivity to the natural environment and providing accessible open space made a project desirable, and that homeowners wanted the security of a long-term plan because a master-planned development protects their investment. In short, they wanted to return to the traditional values found in small towns plus the modern conveniences of the 21st Century."

In response to the results of the survey and homebuyers' desires for long-term plans for the community, Ritter Ranch has responded with important infrastructure improvements and a land plan that has been sensitively designed to maximize the natural resources of the foothill location.

SMALL TOWN VALUES

A full 77 percent of the property will retain its natural environment, enhanced by more than 400 acres of parks, 85 miles of hiking and horse trails, a 56-acre Juniper preserve, a 30-acre wetland preserve along Amargosa Creek and 6,000 acres of open countryside. The largest donation in the history of Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was recently made by Ritter Ranch to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, in the form of 6,000 acres, further exemplifying the developer's commitment to the concept of traditional values found in American small towns while still providing for the 21st Century's needs.

With an expected 15-year built-out, Ritter Ranch is scheduled to begin off-site construction in the winter of 1993, with land and lot parcel sales to builders commencing in late 1994 and ending in 2005. The first homes within Ritter Ranch are expected to be occupied in the second quarter of 1995.

Ritter Ranch is comprised of five separate residential villages, each having a distinct identity and reinforced with consistent landscaping and hardscaping, signage, monumentation, lighting and other design elements.

Further, within the villages are neighborhoods, each having their own individual character and market positioning based upon topography, density, view potential and amenities offered. According to Wenner, "The project contains an unprecedented amenity package supporting and complimenting the product array offered in each of the villages, providing a full spectrum of quality housing choices for virtually every market segment - from the low-$100,000s to the $500,000s- including; attached housing, entry level, first and second time move-up, executive, luxury and equestrian estate homes. Ritter Ranch will also offer a select number of custom home sites."

Additional community amenities include an outdoor amphitheater, seven school sites with provisions made for quality school facilities, a period-style firehouse and a regional library.

From its inception, Ritter Ranch has worked to create a development that complements the scenic mountains of the high-desert. In the early stages of planning and designing the development, Ritter Ranch maintained a high profile with the local community, focusing on communicating project information and by becoming involved in a host of community activities.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Ritter Ranch has been involved with and contributed to more than 40 community organizations that range from the Antelope Valley Childrens Center and the Save A Heart Foundation to the local chambers of commerce and the Cherry Grower Association.

Project members met with the community and heard their thoughts.

Often when a community need was not being met otherwise, Ritter Ranch stepped in to assist. This was the case with the Little League clubhouse Ritter Ranch built in 1991 at a local baseball field, allowing more than 1,000 members of the neighborhood teams to enjoy one of America's favorite pastimes. Additionally, during each of the past two years, Ritter Ranch has opened the Ranch to more than 1,200 Antelope Valley Boy Scouts and Webelos for their annual Camporees, and has made available the property's 85-miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails to other groups such as the American Heart Association for bike runs, equestrian rides, and hiking outings.

"We knew at the outset that in order for Ritter Ranch to be successful, it would be the result of a joint community effort," says Wenner. "We have undertaken this project as residents of the Antelope Valley and have a long-term commitment and investment in the people of the community."

That investment soon will begin to take shape in the form of the master-planned community of Ritter Ranch and a development concept that has succeeded in capturing the essence of two worlds; the best qualities of the past and provisions for the future.