Valinda in San Juan Capistrano

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irvinehomeowner

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
The OC Register's New Home section has grown since the bubble pop... one of the things that caught my eye was Valinda in San Juan Capistrano.

The advert (and also the "article") mentioned "minimum 10,000 square feet lots" starting at mid $700k. So I checked their website:
http://woodbridgepacific.com/neighborhoods/

(you have to click on Valinda)

And after looking at the floorplans (weird... they went narrow so you get 4-car tandem garages or 2 2-car L-garages) and sitemap, it's hard to believe that every lot is at least 10,000 sft.

Floorplans:http://woodbridgepacific.com/swf/floorplan_Embedded/

Site Map:http://woodbridgepacific.com/swf/site_Embedded/

I like Plan 2 the most but that's probably $800k+. Too far south for me... I wonder if they have views. They had their Grand Opening last weekend... but we didn't have the time to drive that far down to look at model homes.
 
I like lot 74 plan 3.

Took a look at where in the city it is located and it is on the inland side of the city. 

There is a high school right across from the development (San Juan Hills High) and their 2011 API is 835.
 
WoodburyDad said:
What?s the address for this development?
I did not see it listed on the site.
Click to expand...

It is by the Ortega Highway/Antonio Parkway interchange......just past the equestrian center where they have the rodeo.  Take Ortega east from I-5 to Antonio and go right....should be right there.  Even though they just built that High School there, the biggest issue is the dump that is just over the hill behind this development.  Also the power lines that come out of San Onofre and cut through the middle of Ladera Ranch run right next to this.  I'm sure they did a bunch of environmental testing before building the school there, but it does make me nervous. 

It's a pretty scenic little valley that it sits in.....surrounded by green rolling hills.  They're also going to be building "Ladera Ranch 2" just to the east of here.....whenever the market conditions allow it.  That's going to be something like 6000 units....so it might not seem as rural as it seems now for long.  I don't know what the name of that 'city' is going to be.....it's not associated with Ladera, just by the same developer.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
I also read this location is next to a landfill... that's important for some people.
Click to expand...

It is a future oil reserve site in about a million years when all that trash decomposes to light sweet crude.  Your distant future relatives the house gets passed down to will be rich oil barons... 
 
davenlei said:
irvinehomeowner said:
I also read this location is next to a landfill... that's important for some people.
Click to expand...

It is a future oil reserve site in about a million years when all that trash decomposes to light sweet crude.  Your distant future relatives the house gets passed down to will be rich oil barons... 
Click to expand...
Why wait... you can buy in Yorba Linda and get that oil proximity now.
 
Nah this is a bad idea a million years from now. You should buy at in-land empire because by then it will be ocean front.

davenlei said:
irvinehomeowner said:
I also read this location is next to a landfill... that's important for some people.
Click to expand...

It is a future oil reserve site in about a million years when all that trash decomposes to light sweet crude.  Your distant future relatives the house gets passed down to will be rich oil barons...
Click to expand...
 
The Motor Court Company said:
Nah this is a bad idea a million years from now. You should buy at in-land empire because by then it will be ocean front.
Click to expand...
Las Vegas (maybe Larry knows something we don't know).
 
irvinehomeowner said:
The Motor Court Company said:
Nah this is a bad idea a million years from now. You should buy at in-land empire because by then it will be ocean front.
Click to expand...
Las Vegas (maybe Larry knows something we don't know).
Click to expand...

Yes, perfect.  Money making beach front property!  Buy next to the Vegas Landfill.  All that decomposing half eaten buffet food will make great bio-fuel in a million years while you sit on the deck of your ocean front property.
 
8)  I saw the valinda homes in San Juan Capistrano.  They were beautiful, and the backyard has a great covered patil with a fireplace. There is a ton of room back there.  They used  new type of plumbing the is suppose to decrease the possibillity of pipe leaks.  I did not smell the landfill, and I don't think they would put a school there if it was dangerous. I might move there.
 
ladyfish said:
8)  I saw the valinda homes in San Juan Capistrano.  They were beautiful, and the backyard has a great covered patil with a fireplace. There is a ton of room back there.  They used  new type of plumbing the is suppose to decrease the possibillity of pipe leaks.  I did not smell the landfill, and I don't think they would put a school there if it was dangerous. I might move there.
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Welcome to TI ladyfish.

Let us know how it works out if you move there. The price point is compelling for the amount of land you get but it is too far south for us. The other concern is I believe there are power lines over there too.

Someone on OCR who visited the models did detect the smell from the landfill:
http://www.ocreader.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=17576#p17576

Coltrane said:
Second, was a realization that I had standing in front of the open backyard loggia (er, Capistrano Room) on the second model home. At first I though my senses were playing tricks on me. Then I looked around to see if it was someone nearby. Perhaps a small child? Finally it hit me. The landfill over the hill. I was smelling the landfill. There was a distinct odor of raw sewage wafting into the house on the breeze. Now, I don't know if this is a once a year thing. I don't know if the breeze caught a particularly ripe pile of garbage just right. Perhaps some garbage truck had just unloaded a particularly foul load of waste just then. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Just the memory of the warm, moist scent of rotting garbage floating through this brand new home was enough to forever taint my impression of this community. The good news is that the Prima Deshecha landfill is only scheduled to be operational until about 2060, so resale values should improve by then. Good luck selling those puppies, Woodbridge. The moral of the story? Develop land next door to a landfill at your peril.
Click to expand...

Do you know what the HOA fees are and if there are Mello Roos?
 
We went out to the San Juan Capistrano Landfill, and we took a tour.  It turns out all landfills in Orange county are strictly regulated.  The methane gas is completly removed and they receive a citation if there is a smell.  There are  chemicals that they use to stop the oders. The landfill is actually not that close to the development. Nothing is running through the wires at the moment. We can see them from the homes if we are looking for them.
 
8) [/b] We toured the land fill.  It is huge and dusty.  Everyday the fill is treated with chemicals that demolish odors.  Any unsafe gases are drained out. Whatever Coltran smelled, it was not from the  landfill. We also visited the green multch store. Sometimes mulch has an earthy smell. We are going to use the land for planting which requires mulch. I am happy.
 
Wife and I toured these lots - we liked Plan 2 a LOT. It is the perfect layout for a family of 4 (soon to be 5!!).

Some facts: HoA is $359/month and it does not include a community pool. Effective tax rate is 1.9% (MR OUCH)

The main thing that killed it for us? How far it is to our jobs in OC. We could take the 73 every day and be fine but it is signing up for an additional expense.

Still, the lots + layouts are top notch. It is amazing to see a Capistrano (California) room that actually feeds into a backyard and not a brick wall.
 
We have been here two months and are very happy. My husband travels to the airport once a week, and I drive to Aliso Viejo for school.  Our backyard is huge. I love the view and the tranquility. You have to weigh out what is best for you.  I am certain you will find the house that is the PERFECT HOME for you.
 
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