Montage at Mission Hills

By Marilyn Ramos

Montage at Mission Hills Homeowners Association is centrally located along the Gerald Ford Drive corridor in Cathedral City near the Rancho Mirage boundary at Da Vall Drive.

Montage was recognized by CAI this summer and was awarded its highly sought-after Medallion Community Award. The Montage board worked very hard to fulfill all requirements and install the best practices necessary to qualify for this CAI-CV award.

The location of Montage is one of the best in the Coachella Valley. Within five minutes you can be on all the major routes in the Coachella Valley including Hwy 111, Ramon Road, Dinah Shore, and the I-10 freeway. They are just a few minutes away from the hotels and restaurants on south Palm Canyon in Palm Springs, the new Agua Caliente Casino in Cathedral City, Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, the Monterey Shores big-box complex (which includes Costco and Walmart) in Palm Desert, Agua Caliente Resort and Casino in Rancho Mirage, as well as the large shopping centers located on Ramon Road in Palm Springs (Home Depot, Aldi, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Lowe’s, Walmart, Burlington, Marshalls and others). The Cathedral City and the Rancho Mirage libraries are also approximately five minutes from Montage and accessible by bicycle routes.

Most importantly, Montage is across the street from Mission Hills Country Club, to which all owners receive a Social and Fitness Membership as part of their ownership.

The community was completed in 2004, and has 128 homes on almost 40 acres of land. The homes are all single-family, single-story residences ranging from two bedrooms and three baths to five bedrooms and four baths. There are three different exteriors and four very flexible floor plans with square footage ranging from 2,125 to 3,388 square feet. Some homes have three garage spaces, and many have detached or attached casitas and private pools and spas. Lot sizes are generous, between 8,900 square feet to about 15,000 square feet.

The Montage homes were built in three complementary architectural styles—Tuscan, Italianate, and a Contemporary, Pueblo and Mission Revival-inspired style reimagined for the 21st century. The homes feature detail elements like arches, tile roofs, inset windows and doors, courtyards, ironwork and façade details frequently associated with the architecture of a Sonoran Desert leisure lifestyle or living in warm, arid Mediterranean climates.

The monthly assessments are very low at $260 per month, which includes maintenance of the common areas (perimeter landscaping, gate areas, a small multipurpose open space area/detention basin, and streets), and, again, a full Social and Fitness Membership at Mission Hills Country Club.

Montage is part of a family of developments contiguous to Mission Hills Country Club, with access to the Club’s extensive package of amenities. This relationship helps keep HOA fees low for Montage residents while providing them access to world-class facilities within easy walking and driving

distance. Club privileges for Montage residents extend outside the development to over 300 owned, operated, and alliance clubs within the Club Corp System nationwide, opening facilities for Montage residents while traveling or visiting.

The Social and Fitness Membership provides homeowners with access to the Club’s social functions and a variety of dining options, and the use of the beauty spa, fitness center, fitness programming, and swimming pool. Tennis Club membership is also included, which includes access to all grass, clay and hard courts as well as the grass croquet courts and pickleball courts.

Montage owners can becoe golf members allowing them to play on three different championship golf courses: Dinah Shore Tournament Course (home to one of the five major championships in women's professional golf), the Arnold Palmer Course, and the Pete Dye Challenge Course, and have access to a year-round program of activities and events. The latest resale prices range from approximately $725,000 to $855,000, depending on the floor plan, lot size, and amenities. An interesting note is that the land on which Montage is situated was formerly Indian land and a part of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation dating back to 1896 when the federal government created the 31,610-acre reservation on the government-owned even-numbered land sections. Known as the “Golden Checkerboard” because the Indian ownerships resembled a checkerboard pattern overlaid where Palm Springs and Cathedral City are now. Later, in the mid '60s, during what is sometimes referred to as the “country club period” in the Valley when new golf courses began to be constructed, the Montage property was part of the initial Mission Hills Country Club (MHCC) land plan. However, because the parcel was separated from MHCC by major roadways (36th Street, now Gerald Ford Drive) and was situated in Cathedral City, the property was not developed as part of the club, and the land laid fallow, except for agricultural uses, until about 1998 when development interest was reinitiated. In the late 1990s, Montage developers successfully negotiated the separation of the land from the Mission Hills Country Club parcel and then purchased the land. Montage is a popular subdivision with retired professionals, entrepreneurs and successful local business owners/professionals. Many of its residents love that the subdivision is small, quiet and secure, and meticulously maintained. It has wide, clean, walkable streets with well-landscaped yards framing stunning mountain views. The well-designed subdivision encourages socialization and neighborliness. Board President Tony Michaelis says, "Montage at Mission Hills is a great place to live. We are fortunate to have world-class social and recreational resources available at the Mission Hills Country Club. It provides our HOA with the amenities we all want within our low HOA fees, but we do not have the maintenance and upkeep responsibilities that inflate budgets and cause oversight concerns. Added to this, we have very high-quality designed and constructed homes that make the environment beautiful to live in, and a board and community management company second to none…we are indeed lucky to live here.” The community has been professionally managed by Personalized Property Management (PPM) since 2004. Shelly Ruegsegger, Senior Community Association Manager, has been involved in the management of Montage for over 13 years. She has been with PPM for 16 years and in the HOA management industry for 30 plus years and has been awarded the coveted Manager of the Year award by CAI. Shelly said, “Working with the board at Montage for years has been a true honor for me. They methodically consider their options when undertaking projects and always view their decisions from the homeowner’s perspective. Consistent, thoughtful dialogue is commonplace at their meetings, and I genuinely feel valued as a member of their team. This honor accurately indicates how success is achieved by working together and respectfully considering each other’s opinions.” The community is governed by a five-member board of directors and numerous active standing committees and ad hoc committees. The primary committees are the Architectural Review Committee, Election Committee, Emergency Preparedness Committee, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Website Committee and Welcome Committee. Outside vendors are also an important tool in running an association. Montage has partnered up with CAI-CV Business Partners including Pacific Western Bank, Conserve LandCare, MC Builders, AMS Paving, Martin Sweeping, Animal Pest Control Management, and law firm of Fiore Racobs & Powers, A PLC.

If you would like more information about Montage at Mission Hills, you may contact Shelly Ruegsegger, at sruegsegger@ppminternet.com or by phone at (760) 325-9500, or Board President, Tony Michaelis, at tonymichaelis@icloud.com or by phone at (213) 200-4274. You may also visit the Association’s website at: www.montageatmissionhills.org.