What about Columbus Square in Tustin ??

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<p>We looked at Columbus Grove too and I really liked Lantana (and the fact that it is Irvine), but hubby was FREAKING out about the concrete plant. Go figure, he doesn't mind the hangers, but refuses to live by the concrete plant.....You're right, nowhere to walk in Columbus Square right now. The "villlage conservatory" and pool are now open so that's cool. Also, if they really put in the "linear park", I wonder if it would be possible to walk to the district....It will be REALLY interesting to see what happens when the schools are built starting with the elementaries because I know a lot of people are turned off by Tustin High and Currie Middle school. But someone like me who wants to wait at LEAST 2 years before having kids, waiting around for the schools is not a problem....</p>
 
<p>I was one of the suckers who stood in line for a bus to look at the Portola Springs models - it was the worst day of my life. I fell in love with Las Colinas, but I scrutinized the floor plan with the master on the first floor and compared it with Astoria Plan 1 and Astoria won based on several factors. I think both Portola and Woodbury are beautiful - especially Woodbury's flowers and landscaping, but it's just TOO FAR for me and my hubby who have no kids and like to leave the house and the neighborhood sometimes. </p>

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hbunny, am i hearing you right, that you entered into a contract for a Plan 1 and they lowered your price by $100,000 even though they "didn't have to" ? The current Plan 1s are around $900,000, so does that mean when you entered into the contract the price was around $1 million? I agree with you that the Plan 1 is very nicely laid out, I think it is the best floorplan I have ever seen for that price range. I didn't like Columbus Grove because of the high voltage lines right in front of the development, I have never seen a new development with that high voltage lines like that, they are usually buried underground.
 
<p>hbunny-</p>

<p>Aren't you concerned about having your bedroom on a different floor than that of the kids you are planning? I thought downstairs masters were only appropriate when all kids were past ~2nd grade...</p>

<p>SCHB</p>
 
VoC is a knock-off to TIC. Lyon and Lennar got such good deals for the land cost because it was in a redevelopment zone and it boggles my mind why the dues are high
 
<p>Hi socalhousingbubble: There is a bedroom down the hall from the master bedroom (on the 1st floor) which we're currently using as gym. But it's a real bedroom and our plan is to turn that into a nursery (there is a closet and full bath next to it). But again, no babies for at least 2 more years. I agree, you probably shouldn't be on a different floor from your baby, but down the hall seems okay to me. And again, if the parents or the in-laws want to visit, they have the upstairs pretty much to themselves like an apartment because of the loft which looks just like cozy living room. It's fun to hang out upstairs because it seems like we're never up there and it's like a diffent house up there! This layout is very conducive for guests. For instance, this weekend, my two girlfriends are visiting from AZ and they will each get their own room up there, but hubby and I will still have privacy.</p>
 
<p>fumbling: Yes, AFTER we signed the contract, Lyon reduced the price on two separate occasions. Is this really a surprise to you? My understanding is that all the rebutable builders did so after prices began dropping dramatically. Not surprisingly, they would not have wanted us and others to try and get out of the contract. When I say they didn't "have to", I mean that they had no legal obligation to do it. On balance, it was a good business decision for them. </p>
 
Have you actually walked around Columbus square? That might change your mind a little. It is one big parking lot. Wall to wall parked cars and they aren't even done building yet. Cars parked illegally in the red. I don't understand how or why there are so many cars. Cars bug me so this might not bug you. People who don't park in the garage drive me nuts.





The streets are very narrow. The million dollar homes might as well be condos since they are packed in so tightly with zero privacy. You are bordered by the concrete plant, the train, voltage lines and very busy streets. There is no long term value or appeal to this neighborhood. I have already seen several "bank owned" for sale signs there. Tustin School district. Etc. Buyer beware is all I'm trying to say I guess.





For that kind of money, you could get a great sfh in an older neighborhood in the center of Irvine. Woodbridge, Deerfield, Westpark, etc. No mello roos too. The drive up Main from Woodbridge or Westpark would only be a couple of minutes at most. My wife used to do that commute and it was nothing.
 
"There is no long term value or appeal to this neighborhood"





That is completely your opinion. Some of us actually like being in an "urban" area, and being close to everything that this area has to offer. This area will always have the urban appeal that Portola or Woodbury just can't offer. Also, lot sizes are much more generous in VoC, which is very important to most of us.





If you're looking for a modern and upgraded home then new is the way to go. Renovating an older home to meet new home standards is a long, expensive, disruptive process that really takes away from the joy of home ownership. If the older style appeals to you, then I would agree with irvine_native, buy an older, cheaper home.





Congrats to hbunny on your purchase, I'm glad you love it.
 
I disagree that this is Urban. It is the suburbs. Very crowded suburbs. You can't walk anywhere except to maybe cross Jamboree to the district/Marketplace and Public transportation sucks compared to real urban areas. As evidenced by the numerous cars parked on the street, you still have to drive everywhere. With the failure of the Irvine high rises, I don't think a true urban Irvine will ever happen, which is a bummer.





I'm not sure what you mean about renovating an older home. If there are any problems, the seller/inspector has to disclose them and in this market you can get them to take care of everything. Yes there are more maintenance costs, but there are also no mello roos, so it's a tradeoff. Compared to what the builders charge for upgrades, renovating an older home yourself is a steal. It is very easy (and fun) to modify an older home to fit your needs. We are adding a room to the 30 year old home that we just bought. The city permits took 2 weeks to approve and the HOA approval took only a day. It was painless.





For the record, I think some new homes are fine such as those in Portola Springs. I just believe that Columbus Square has a few too many negatives to buy in this market now. They need to drop the prices even more than they already have in my opinion.
 
I agree and did not mean to say Columbus Square is really urban. No one would believe that. It just "feels" more urban-like due to the location. I love older homes too, My best girlfriend lives in upstate ny and has the most gorgeous 1920's old colonial house. And I have friends who live in gorgeous older homes in the Pasadena area. But when hubby and I looked are resales, we looked all over Irvine, and South Orange County and maybe we didn't look hard enough, but most of the homes were buily between 1980 and 2003 and a lot had that peach colored stucco. NONE had the floors, cabinets, carpet, counters, paint and appliances that I would ever choose in my life. So we figured, we might as well go new. I think in any purchase, you have to really feel that the house is exactly what you want, whether it's new, old, etc. We looked at a lot of new homes. I guess we will see what impact the "negatives" according to those who identify certain factors as "negatives" will have on the community.
 
<p>I had heard that in columbus grove, the Lantana Phase 1 buyers were in an uproar when the developer (I believe it was William Lyons) dropped prices in subsequent phases, so I was surprised when you wrote that Lyons dropped the price for you. Now I see there is a distinction, you were in contract but didn't move in yet, while the Lantana buyers had moved in already. Obviously that is good of Lyons to drop price for you while you were in contract. Well, we are still potential buyers and hope that prices still drop a bit more, even though I'm sure as a homeowner now you would rather have prices rise a bit. We like Columbus Square particularly Astoria because it does feel more urban than Woodbury and more in the middle of it all. It's minutes from Jamboree and a quick drive down to Newport, it's minutes from Vietnam town (Westminster), Korea town (Garden Grove) and China town (Irvine), and close to all major freeways. However I agree with a previous poster, my big pet peeve is people who park in front of other people's houses, that really irks me. It is really rude and inconsiderate to park in front of someone's house, I try to not do that, why are other people clueless like that? So we try to look for a lot where that's not likely to happen, that has space for cars. Unfortunately Columbus Square is on the dense side and there might be a high likelihood of inconsiderate parkers. </p>
 
<p><em>my big pet peeve is people who park in front of other people's houses, that really irks me. It is really rude and inconsiderate to park in front of someone's house, I try to not do that, why are other people clueless like that?</em></p>

<p>Is this a social norm? I wouldn't know because I came from a region where everyone had a yard and the streets were too narrow for curbside parking. In fact it bugs me that a homeowner would feel entitled to the curbside parking directly in front of his home. It isn't his street -- period. </p>
 
Well, I've lived in suburbia for 20 years, the lots are not estate size but normal 50 foot wide lots with two and three car garages with read driveways. I think people should park on their own property in their own garage or on their driveway and not park in front of other people's homes. I hate to say this particularly in this forum but the only people our neighborhood had problems with were ... renters. I never had a problem for 15 years until a renter started parking in front of my house instead of just making a u-turn and parking in front of the house he rented. My neighbor had a problem with a renter doing the same thing. This homeowner thing about keeping the curbside parking in front of their house seems to be the social norm where I come from (So Cal middle class SFR neighborhood). If it isn't here please let me know and I can adjust to the O.C...:)
 
Rentals are usually not welcomed in a single family tracks. It is either the renter is bad, or the owner decides not to take care of the property. It seldom has the combination of good renters with the owner still takes care of the property as if he or she still lives there. Sorry...
 
<p>when i was in college, you should just park wherever you can find a parking spot. same goes for condo dwelling. i think people who are annoyed by others parking on the public streets in front of their house are anal. i guess those people aren't very social and don't have too many friends coming over. does it bother me that i see someone's car parked in front of my door? no. because i would be really uptight to be bothered by such a minor thing. IRVINE FOLKS are notorious for being this way. in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, you just park wherever you can - and no one minds. that's why the media uses the coastal cities to depict OC culture. if they used Irvine, then the rest of the country would have no interest in the OC at all. don't get me wrong though... Irvine is probably within my top 3 favorite cities to live in the OC. it's just the folks here keep on saying things to make people from other cities hate Irvine.</p>
 
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<p>The lower prices in VOC is possible due to the cheaper land price obtained from the government after the military base closed. The infrastructure such as parks, recreation structures, project walls, and pools are relatively simple and cost effective. The risk of toxic contamination is unknown beneath the soil. the builders did scrape the upper 15 feet of soil and replaced with new imported soil. Tustin did not have jurisdiction to govern activities taken place on federal owned military base during the last 55 years. The proximity to the flight path and potential unaccounted future traffic nightmare are the disadvantages for the builders not being able to command top dollars for their homes. There will be only 4 signalized intersections for the entire VOC population to egress the community. This may be a big problem for traffic on both Redhill and Jamboree. By the way Jamboree already has all the Corona 241 toll road commuters. </p>
 
<p>"the builders did scrape the upper 15 feet of soil and replaced with new imported soil."</p>

<p>Anybody know where they dumped the old soil? Inland Slumpire or that Indian reservation that was taking everyone's waste?</p>
 
<p>Regarding parking in front of other's home. I know of someone he's single and live by himself. His garage can fit 2 cars plus another 2 on the driveway. </p>

<p>But he would park in front of his house just to keep others from parking. Just imagine that for a moment. His garage is empty and his driveway also. And he parks on the street.</p>

<p>The crazy thing is. There's hardly any cars parked on the street. So it's not even regarding lack of parking. Some people are just anal. </p>
 
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