Living in Woodbury East

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blitzjs

New member
There were some good insights into why people did or didn't like living in PS that I haven't really considered.  Casero and Sevilla are two tracts that I'm considering as well as Santa Cruz in WBE.

I really like SC 3, its probably my favorite in the NHC 2010 but I'm not so sure about WBE.  I've tried driving around the community at different times throughout the day and the two things I've noticed is the lack of street parking + freeway noise from the 133.  I'm not sure if people are not using their garages or if its overflow parking from Ivy/Celadon/etc but there are a lot of cars parked on the street for a community that's not completely built out yet. 

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on WBE, especially those who already live there.  Is the road noise as bad as it seems (or is it only along the very back row facing the wall of the 133). 

For me:

Pros:
SC3 has a nice layout: big enough side yard space for me, kids rooms can easily fit a full size bed + desk, nice kitchen/dining/living area (I know this isn't really WBE specific)
Single HoA
Low MR

Cons:
Garage alley seems very narrow (more so than 'normal')
toll road 133 noise
lack of amenities
lack of street parking/visitor parking

SC is moving units much slower than I thought it would compared to tracts like Montecito so I'm thinking people are also having doubts about WBE.
 
Pros:
- Really like the layout of SC3 compared to Monte 1... and now you can get a bath/bed downstairs.
- 10 ft offset from neighbors

Cons:
- If you have elementary age kids... the school is far.
- No driveway
- Woodbury East seems more "dense" than Woodbury
- HOA higher for less amenities (can WBE owner use WB facilities?)
 
CON:  Gotta cross a street where cars are moving at least 65 mph to get to the shopping center or elementary school. 
 
I am kind of surprised TIC did not build a footbridge/underpass through Sand Canyon for WBE/SGE. Having a "safe" way to cross Sand Canyon would have helped WBE a ton.
 
WBE is nice, it was quite high on the list, until we saw the street that we'd have to cross to get to school each day.  it would have meant that one of us commuted with the kids to school both ways each day (funny thing is, we may do that anyway).  Too bad, because the prices seem more reasonable than WB.

gaab
 
I don't think the city of Irvine has any footbridge/underpass for pedestrians across any major road.

I think the WBE/SGE was about the best they could come up given the limited footprint they had to work with.  I am just surprised that they did not swap the Woodbury apartments for WBE/SGE detached condos.  It seems that TIC could have commanded higher price for detached condos in Woodbury vs Woodbury East.  My guess is that the apartments renters are probably not as picky as the home buyers between the WB and WBE.
 
LAtoOC said:
I am kind of surprised TIC did not build a footbridge/underpass through Sand Canyon for WBE/SGE. Having a "safe" way to cross Sand Canyon would have helped WBE a ton.
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If that added $50-$100 to the WBE HOA... would that be acceptable?

I wonder what the cost is to do something like that... it would have helped although I'm not sure TIC knew what type of market they were targeting with WBE.
 
Irvine2Irvine said:
I don't think the city of Irvine has any footbridge/underpass for pedestrians across any major road.
Click to expand...
Oak Creek over Alton is one that comes to mind.

EDIT: And Woodbridge over the 405 to University Park.
 
wb said:
why does water tank matter?
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There are a number of ways that tank can fail.

-earthquake
-car crashes into it
-plane crashes into it
-disgruntled IC employee "sabotages" it
-rats chew a hole
-old age

Failure could completely flood your neighborhood, including your home.  Does insurance cover man made floods?

 
LAtoOC said:
I am kind of surprised TIC did not build a footbridge/underpass through Sand Canyon for WBE/SGE. Having a "safe" way to cross Sand Canyon would have helped WBE a ton.
Click to expand...

Underground pedestrian walkways would have been a nice touch
 
test said:
wb said:
why does water tank matter?
Click to expand...

There are a number of ways that tank can fail.

-earthquake
-car crashes into it
-plane crashes into it
-disgruntled IC employee "sabotages" it
-rats chew a hole
-old age

Failure could completely flood your neighborhood, including your home.  Does insurance cover man made floods?
Click to expand...

Earthquake is the only probable reason I can see on the list.
It will still take a major earthquake, not a minor one.
 
test said:
wb said:
why does water tank matter?
Click to expand...

There are a number of ways that tank can fail.

-earthquake
-car crashes into it
-plane crashes into it
-disgruntled IC employee "sabotages" it
-rats chew a hole
-old age


Failure could completely flood your neighborhood, including your home.  Does insurance cover man made floods?
Click to expand...

I think the plane crashing into it would cause a few more problems beyond the water damage and would likely severely impact the "safety premium" that Irvine currently carries.

g
 
irvinehomeowner said:
gaab said:
Underground pedestrian walkways would have been a nice touch
Click to expand...
I would be scared of running into someone with an icicle gun.
Click to expand...

Guess I've been in Tokyo too long, the thought of being mugged underground never even crossed my mind.
 
gaab said:
Guess I've been in Tokyo too long, the thought of being mugged underground never even crossed my mind.
Click to expand...
In Irvine... a mugging is called "jogging alone, tripping over your feet, hitting your head on the concrete and somehow losing your wallet during your fall".

Gotta keep that .7% crime rate from rising.
 
As for the water tank... could it be built in a way so that the water drains away from the homes? It looks like it's on a lower area than the surrounding homes and there could probably be a drainage tract that directs the water to Sand Canyon.
 
Patrick Star said:
irvinehomeowner said:
Irvine2Irvine said:
I don't think the city of Irvine has any footbridge/underpass for pedestrians across any major road.
Click to expand...
Oak Creek over Alton is one that comes to mind.

EDIT: And Woodbridge over the 405 to University Park.
Click to expand...

Pedestrian walkways also run under Irvine Blvd. in West Irvine/Northpark and Jamboree Rd in West Irvine/Tustin Ranch.  But of course that's in the 714 area code and Tustin Unified School District, so this board probably would not be aware of those.  So the implication that something such as a tunnel from TIC is out of the question is not quite accurate. 

But maybe your suggestion was that it would not be feasible from a cost perspective for TIC to take on such large scale project in 2010? Like they did 10 years ago?  I mean, it?s not like they are collecting any supplemental taxes from you guys to put infrastructure in, right?
Click to expand...

That underpass is dangerous because it is used mostly by West Irvine drunks to stagger back home after a few too many pitchers of Tatonka Stout at BJs.
 
Here are some of my thoughts on WBE....maybe Waitin4Ever can chime in also!

WBE can't get into WB facilities, but for $134, we get a pool with Gas BBQ grills, Basketball courts, Tennis Courts (like WB) and also a gym with weights, treadmills, and other machines.  Not too shabby.   

The really big con that I noticed for the SC tracts is parking as you mentioned.  Parking seems to be really crowded on Blaze Street (where all the current SC houses are) at night. I can see all future streets that are in the SC tracts  getting crowded at build-out.  I'm so glad that I paid a little extra to be in front of the park @ Coronado because that seems to help out a lot with parking.  I'm not sure if this will hold up at build out, however, so I'll have to wait and see.

You won't notice the water tank at all (I think it's more of a concern for Ivy and Monterey folks).  I'm closer to Sand Canyon, so I don't hear the 133 at all, but Sand Canyon can get noisy at night if your windows are open. SC is a little further from away from Coronado, so I'm not sure if the Sand Cyn noise will be a concern. 

Maybe I grew up in the ghettos of the Bay Area, but I don't think crossing Sand Cyn for elementary school is going to be a big deal, but then again, I will probably drop my future kids off at school on the way to work. 

Overall, I enjoy living in WBE, but it definitely feels a lot small than than WB . I used to rent in WB, but I can't remember the name of the tract that I lived in (it was on Costa Brava).  I do miss the Lagoon Pool-  It was definitely something that I used to love showing off to my friends.  IMO, if you were to spend $720+ on SC, you might as well pay a little more to live in Montecito and get a driveway.  What is the price difference these days anyway?

 
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