Palisades Lots Will Feature Views of Bay

Cliches, such as “sitting on top of the world” and “saving the best for last” are more than hackneyed expressions at Ridgeview Country Estates, a Watt/Keshtkar luxury lot development opening this weekend in Pacific Palisades.

The 66-lot development is the last private single-family homes community to be developed in the Palisades and the last in the Santa Monica Mountains to be approved by the California Coastal Commission, according to Ray Watt, co-developer with Jack Keshtkar.

For about $350,000 to $750,000, buyers in the 72.5-acre development can purchase lots ranging from 10,000 to 35,000 square feet of buildable pad size, with some large enough to accommodate tennis courts, according to Keshtkar, president of the development firm.

The site, about 600 feet above sea level, offers panoramic views of Santa Monica Bay. Ridgeview is bordered on the north and east by 200 acres dedicated to the state park system.

Architectural restrictions include a minimum house size of 2,500 square feet, maximum height of 32 feet and a requirement that all plans must be approved by an architectural control committee.

The community will have two guard houses staffed 24 hours a day, at Bienveneda Avenue and Via Floresta and Bienveneda Avenue and Shadow Mountain, about three-fourths of a mile north of Sunset Boulevard. Monthly homeowner association dues are expected to be about $170. The information center at 1400 Bienveneda Ave. is open daily from noon to 5 p.m.

Ridgeview Country Estates is the final element in a 10-year development program that began with the purchase of 350 acres, Keshtkar said. Two tracts were developed and sold on 78 acres and a parcel of about 200 acres was dedicated to the state.