Thoughts on Serrano Heights in Orange?

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you think so? i would guess that getting from there to Irvine during rush hours would take just as long or longer than from Ladera.
 
well, I don't just work in Irvine; I work out in the field and the vicinity to the 91 is great, you can shoot over to Corona, LA, Brea, Torrance... definitely better than Ladera to me... anyone else have any info, feedback about this area? It's definetly worth checking out... what is it's relation to the Villa Park school district? I'd heard it's also top notch...
 
It's right next door, but it begs the question - why screw around in Serrano Heights when you can have Villa Park instead?



Anaheim Hills is also an option you should consider, if you haven't already.
 
[quote author="no_vaseline" date=1243118867]It's right next door, but it begs the question - why screw around in Serrano Heights when you can have Villa Park instead?



Anaheim Hills is also an option you should consider, if you haven't already.</blockquote>


true, true, driven around Villa Park once, you don't notice too many detached condos,, they are either, condos or Estates.. Anaheim Hills looks like but too hilly? Just looking at the google maps, the only retail around are the ones off the 91, that is far...
 
We had an hour to kill today, besides the baby was way overdue for a nap. So we put him in the back seat and decided to drive up to Serrano Heights and check out Loftwood Lane. The leisurely drive from Woodbury took 25 minutes; from Tustin Ranch was about 20 minutes; and from the corner of Jamboree and Santiago Canyon, took about 13 minutes. Total distance was about 14 miles.



Initial thoughts were that the neighborhood is newer than some older parts of Orange that we passed. Forget about the Catalina/Ocean views. You are lucky if you see pass the thick smog. Very hilly with canyons and climbs, think a cheaper version of Spyglass Hill. Seems to be nice and clean, very family friendly with children and families walking around, passed a few nice looking schools and parks.



Loftwood was another story; we got the bad vibes when we turned onto the street from Kendra Drive. Can anyone say Tustin Fields II! No wonder, Centex tried to cram down as many homes as possible in pseudo drive-way/cul-de-sacs. I didn?t mind as much as my wife; but I see her point. A small 1,400 sq/ft detached condo in Westpark would be a better investment. The only redeeming feature about the unit was that it is large at over 2200 sq/ft; detached 4-bedrooms with a small yard, the 15% off Irvine prices wasn?t bad either. But, at last I had to concede, it?s not that far from Irvine as far as play-dates and church; but way too far for a quick run to our favorite retail centers and restaurants. As a matter of fact we didn?t even pass one retail outlet. I still think the closest shopping place would be off the 91 and Imperial.



Serrano Heights would be good if we knew more people up there; some of the other tracks didn?t look too bad from a glance and is definitely worth considering if something comes up on the radar. A little more research needs to be done into the school districts and more time would need to be invested in calculating drive times to retail centers and proximities/commutes to neighboring cities.
 
Having grown up this area, and technically still living there, plus having a little knowledge of Centex's project Casita on Loftwood, I figured I would put my ?2 in.



First, it is tract not track. A track is something you race around, and a tract is more or less a section of a community a particular homebuilder builds homes in. If you really want the technical definition, I am sure you can google it yourself.



Casita is up pretty high on the hill. You are right on the border of Anaheim Hills. Not sure if by mileage, but certainly for convenience, <a href="http://www.villapark.org/townecentre.htm">the shopping center in Villa Park is your best bet</a>. You have a Ralph's fresh fare, Bagel Me, First Class Pizza (I have heard it has gone downhill with the new owner, so I haven't tried it since), China Panda (not the best Chinese food, but acceptable in a pinch), Rockwells (a great place for breakfast, and nice place for dinner, with a great bakery), dry cleaners (expensive), several places to get your haircut, two Wells Fargo (there is a World Savings that became Wachovia, that is now Wells by ownership) and a B of A, Wayne's liquor, a vet, too many RE agents, a great flower shop, a karate place for the kids, a bunch of other crap, and a 76 station that is always 20 cents higher than the next most expensive station in the area. You can also head down to the shopping center in Anaheim Hills at Serrano and Weir Canyon, but you will find another Ralph's and another First Class Pizza, but you will also find Rosine's for some bomb a$$ middle eastern food.



I know your kids would go to the elementary just past Kendra, which is good. For Jr. High I think, and please double check, they would go to Rancho, and a major inconvenience if you had to drop them off and work in Irvine. While Cerro Villa might be a little better, it would suck nonetheless. It would also be best if they went to CV, because they would go to VP high, whereas most of the kids from Rancho will go to Canyon. Rival schools BTW. Villa Park High looks great on paper, but it has its downsides. At least when I went there, and I imagine it to be pretty much the same now, there was an extreme gap from those who had money and those that did not. There really are not that many in the middle. It could have changed since I was there, but I really don't think that would have changed all that much.



As for Casita itself, it is a clusterfawk of community. There are some units that are not as clustered, and there are some that have decent lots. The ones that have decent lots are the ones in the middle that back to the hill. Forget the view homes, the road noise and dust will make you insane. The traffic will only get worse. This comes from someone who grew up on what used to be a quiet street that was next to stop sign intersection, that is now the busiest street and intersection in the whole community. With what Bren has planned for East Orange... plan on it getting a lot worse. As for floorplans, plan 1X with the loft above the master was my favorite. Granted, the loft was designed for Ikea only furniture, I.E. you take the boxes up there to build it, because there was no way any normal piece of furniture is ever going up there as it won't fit in the slot. It will also get very hot in the loft, which was not a plus for me. I have heard the HOAs are a bunch of Nazis, and that they have painted more red curbs to prevent street parking, but there remains no other guest parking. Also, check out the Mello Roos, back when these places were first selling the total tax base was 1.6%, and now that they are selling for less than what they originally sold for in the first phase... it is probably more like 1.8%-2%.



Driving to Irvine wouldn't be that bad with the newly improved signal at Cannon/Imperial and Santiago, thanks to Bren and the pressure of the communities there. But... and I mean this is a huge BUTT... when the East Orange project gets developed the traffic on Jamboree starting at Santiago will suck big fat rhino... you know what. Hopefully by then I will be out of there, or renting the property. East Orange, plus a few of the "small" developments in OPA will make it a traffic nightmare unless we get the floating Jetson's cars by then. Ack... I sound like a NIMBY, but it is true.



I really hope this helps you see the pluses and the minuses for Casita. There is a lot I like about it, but I don't like what it I think it will be like in the future, especially as a parent. And if this rant doesn't get me a thanks, you better be at the meet up next time, so I can sick no_vas on you in person.
 
so according to the maps posted the entire city of Irvine is going to "Slide" off and fall into the ocean?





Map makes no sense to me as some areas that are marked as "hazardous" are just on flat ground.
 
[quote author="WALLOFIRON" date=1243217830]so according to the maps posted the entire city of Irvine is going to "Slide" off and fall into the ocean?





Map makes no sense to me as some areas that are marked as "hazardous" are just on flat ground.</blockquote>


I think you need to read up a little on <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=soil+liquefaction+during+earthquakes&aq=3&oq=soil+li&aqi=g10">soil liquefaction during earthquakes.</a>



This was on flat ground.



<img src="http://www.smate.wwu.edu/teched/geology/GeoHaz/eq-general/eq-general-05.JPG" alt="" />
 
[quote author="no_vaseline" date=1243234872][quote author="WALLOFIRON" date=1243217830]so according to the maps posted the entire city of Irvine is going to "Slide" off and fall into the ocean?





Map makes no sense to me as some areas that are marked as "hazardous" are just on flat ground.</blockquote>


I think you need to read up a little on <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=soil+liquefaction+during+earthquakes&aq=3&oq=soil+li&aqi=g10">soil liquefaction during earthquakes.</a>



This was on flat ground.



<img src="http://www.smate.wwu.edu/teched/geology/GeoHaz/eq-general/eq-general-05.JPG" alt="" /></blockquote>


yes thanks.. I definitely do.



I wasnt disputing the claims, just trying to understand how its even remotely possible.





Thanks much for the link... Time to do some reading!
 
To all of the visual learners out there...

-IR2



<object width="325" height="250"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/youtube" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="325" height="250"></embed></object>
 
The water is ground water; it is at the bottom; but during earthquakes or vibrations, it bubbles up to the surface; you can also see air pockets coming up...
 
[quote author="WALLOFIRON" date=1243244626]but the soil is completely dry? where's the water coming from?</blockquote>


Persistence in all things :-) (first 60 seconds only):



<object width="325" height="250"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/youtube" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="325" height="250"></embed></object>
 
:gulp: Ok, you guys are going to give me soil liquefaction nightmares that rival the ones I get when Mr. SoCal makes me watch the "Trinity and Beyond" atomic bomb movie. Great, so we can't buy a house on a hill due to potential landslide and can't buy on solid ground due to this. So what's left.
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1243253791]:gulp: Ok, you guys are going to give me soil liquefaction nightmares that rival the ones I get when Mr. SoCal makes me watch the "Trinity and Beyond" atomic bomb movie. Great, so we can't buy a house on a hill due to potential landslide and can't buy on solid ground due to this. So what's left.</blockquote>


Turtle <strong>Rock</strong>, of course. Matthew 7:24-27



-IR2
 
[quote author="WALLOFIRON" date=1243244626]but the soil is completely dry? where's the water coming from?</blockquote>


You shake it hard enough, it loses its structure and whatever is on top of it........sinks because the soil has lost its structure from being disturbed. That's what happened in the Marina in San Fransisco in 1989. The whole area is built on fill.



<a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1999/fs151-99/">http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1999/fs151-99/</a>



<img src="http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1999/fs151-99/images/liquefaction.jpg" alt="" />



<blockquote>The Marina District was the part of San Francisco most heavily damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake because it was built on uncompacted, sandy ground in an area with a shallow water table. These conditions caused shaking to be amplified and some areas of ground to "liquefy." Along this street in the District, shaking collapsed the first story of an apartment house and liquefied the ground beneath the sidewalk, causing it to buckle.</blockquote>
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1243253791]:gulp: Ok, you guys are going to give me soil liquefaction nightmares that rival the ones I get when Mr. SoCal makes me watch the "Trinity and Beyond" atomic bomb movie. Great, so we can't buy a house on a hill due to potential landslide and can't buy on solid ground due to this. So what's left.</blockquote>


you just have to look where people lived prior to WWII. solid ground.





downtown HB, NPB off the water, CM, parts of laguna, DP, SJC, SC, and then the inland cities like older anaheim, SA, Fullerton, and parts of Orange and Tustin.



or Turtle Rock!
 
New developments are supposedly resistant to liquefaction because they compact the ground before building. My house would be at a very high risk for liquefaction (old stream floodplain) but the ground underneath was compacted to some ridiculous depth like 80 feet so supposedly it's at much lower risk. I'll find out in the next big quake, I guess, if I live that long.
 
based on these charts I would have to assume to compile this data that "they" took soil samples from EVERY street in the entire mapped area?



They areas that aren't shaded are "safe"?
 
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