Skip to contentPlan will help to form RWC’s capital budget
By Sam Richards
Staff writer
Wednesday July 16 (9:00 a.m.): The RWC Planning Committee on Thursday had the earliest discussions of updates and priorities for the 2026 edition of Rossmoor’s Facilities Master Plan, the list of largescale capital projects in progress, in the planning stages, and in various degrees of consideration.
Thursday’s discussion was the committee’s first serious talk about the FMP as it relates to Rossmoor’s 2026 Capital Projects Budget. Committee member Dwight Walker said that discussion is expected to heat up in October, with final approval of the 2026 capital budget scheduled for January.
“This is the beginning of the discussion,” Walker said.
The Facilities Master Plan is a document that helps inform each year’s capital budget. The FMP is a 10-year (sometimes longer) view of capital projects categorized as “immediate need,” “near term,” “long term” and “wish list” priorities. Projects are grouped by the RWC Board in these various baskets based on factors including current conditions, safety, need, interest, emerging trends, and available funding.
The intent is to update it once a year, Walker said, but those aforementioned variables can spur more frequent updates. Among the planned “immediate need” projects that have not been finished (but may be partially complete) are the long-awaited pickleball courts structure adjacent to the Event Center; a water reclamation study; improvements to Rossmoor’s access control system; and a study of accessibility at Dollar House’s rear patio. Two other projects, including bocce court surface improvements and studio renovations at Gateway, are considered complete.
Capital projects are funded with money collected by Membership Transfer Fees, paid as part of a home purchase by most first-time Rossmoor buyers. That fee is currently $13,500.
The Facilities Master Plan was originally created in 2022, using public outreach, focus groups, a community survey and presentations to the Planning Committee, Finance Committee and the RWC Board to produce the initial list of projects. Updates are made to the plan as priorities shift, available funding changes, or when new projects are identified.
Other projects on the Facilities Master Plan list can be seen by going to https://tinyurl. com/mr2fhtbn Ann Mottola, Rossmoor’s community services director, said Thursday that the Facilities Master Plan is not to be confused with the annual Capital Projects Budget, which she described as the annual “spending plan” and not a long-term planning document.
“And I think that’s a hard thing for people to get their heads around,” she told the Planning Committee. As for plans to build the long-awaited pickleball structure and its new courts, bids have been received from two firms that have done work on major Rossmoor projects. The winning bid hasn’t yet been officially confirmed, she said, but that information is expected to be part of a crowded Planning Committee agenda at its Aug. 12 meeting.