About the Building
Pacific Regency dates to 1979: a three-story, 21-home condominium at 311 Ocean Avenue on the corner of Georgina Avenue, at the quiet northern end of Ocean where the street runs toward San Vicente Boulevard and its coral trees, directly across from Palisades Park and the bluffs. No developer or architect is publicly credited for the building. Two local building guides describe a substantial rebuild or renovation around 2003 — a claim worth verifying against City of Santa Monica permit records, since it bears on the building's systems, waterproofing, and effective age.
This is a low-rise fee-simple condominium on private land in the coveted 90402 zip code, organized as a small 21-home association. The structure is a three-story midrise with an elevator and gated, secured parking described in listing records as side-by-side. Construction type and any seismic evaluation are not publicly documented; Santa Monica's citywide retrofit ordinance inventoried several categories of older buildings, so whether Pacific Regency was flagged, exempted, or strengthened is a question for the association's records and the city's permit file rather than an assumption either way.
The 21 residences are predominantly two-bedroom plans recorded between roughly 1,205 and 1,422 square feet — unusually consistent sizing for an Ocean Avenue address. Top-floor homes add loft space suited to an office or additional sleeping area, while ground-floor homes open to private patios and lawn areas within the landscaping. Listings describe fireplaces, high ceilings, in-unit laundry, and open living-dining plans, with ocean and Palisades Park outlooks from the western exposures. Interior condition varies home to home, from dated to comprehensively renovated, and the small sample of sales makes each listing its own market.
Pacific Regency is deliberately unstaffed: no doorman, valet, or on-site manager appears in any record, and there is no pool. What the building offers instead is controlled access, gated parking, an elevator, mature landscaping, and low operating overhead relative to the staffed towers further south on Ocean Avenue — with Palisades Park across the street functioning as the amenity deck. Dues inclusions, pet rules, and leasing policies are not publicly documented for this association, so the current budget, CC&Rs, and rules should come from the HOA early in escrow.
The market position is scarcity at a walkable blue-chip corner: 21 homes produce only occasional listings, and the address reads as the residential seam between Ocean Avenue and the north-of-Montana blocks. The building draws downsizers leaving nearby houses who want single-level living, parking, and the park without tower-scale dues, and buyers priced out of larger Ocean Avenue co-ops and condominiums. Santa Monica city services apply, and directories place the address within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District; verify current school assignments, as boundaries and enrollment rules change.
Amenities & Services
The Residences
Nearly all homes are two-bedroom layouts recorded between roughly 1,205 and 1,422 square feet, which keeps comparable sales legible despite the building's rare turnover. Bathroom counts vary between one and two per listings.
Third-floor residences add loft space above the main plan — used in listings as offices, dens, or extra sleeping areas — giving the upper homes a scale advantage the recorded square footage does not always capture.
Lower homes open to private patios and grassy areas within the landscaped grounds, trading the upper floors' outlook for direct outdoor space — a configuration rare on Ocean Avenue at this price of entry.
Listings describe wood-burning or gas fireplaces, high ceilings, open living-dining rooms, and in-unit laundry. Finishes range from original 1979 to fully renovated, and that spread drives most of the price variation.
Western exposures look across Ocean Avenue to Palisades Park, the bluffs, and the water beyond; other exposures take the leafy Georgina corner. In a three-story building, orientation matters more than floor height.
An elevator serves all floors, and main living areas are single-level — loft stairs aside — making the building workable for buyers planning long tenure, with secured parking below or adjacent per listing records.
Due Diligence
Listing sites describe gated, secured parking with side-by-side spaces, but the number of spaces per home and whether they are deeded or assigned is not published. Confirm the specific spaces on title before removing contingencies.
No pet policy is publicly documented for this association. Small buildings vary widely — some are permissive, some restrictive — so obtain the current written rules from the HOA before writing an offer if pets are involved.
Leasing rules are not publicly documented; one directory notes no rental restrictions were specified in available material, which is not the same as none existing. Verify the CC&Rs' current leasing language during escrow.
Dues inclusions are not published for this association. In a 21-home, unstaffed building, insurance is typically the dominant budget line — request the current budget, master insurance summary, and reserve study from the HOA.
The building dates to 1979, before current seismic codes, and its construction type and any retrofit history are not publicly documented. Ask the association whether Santa Monica's retrofit ordinance applied and request any engineering reports.
Two local guides describe a substantial rebuild or renovation around 2003; verify scope through city permit records. No current assessments are publicly documented — roofing, elevator, and waterproofing cycles belong in your reserve-study review.
No on-site staff is documented — no doorman, valet, or manager. Day-to-day operations in buildings this size typically run through a management company and volunteer board; confirm the current managing agent and service arrangements.
Association approval should be assumed for any remodel, and the building's architectural rules are not published. Top-floor loft build-outs appear in listing histories, suggesting precedent; confirm what was permitted and what the HOA allows now.
Everything above is drawn from public records, city permit data and published sources. The association’s statutory disclosure package is the only authoritative answer on dues, rules, reserves, insurance and litigation — Ben will request it and read it with you before you remove contingencies.
Common Questions
Keep Exploring
More about the neighbourhood: Santa Monica
Off Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
Work With Ben
Units here often trade before they are ever listed. Tell Ben what you are looking for and hear first when something opens up, including off market.
Start the ConversationOff Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
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