Highpointe Questions (Austin, Spring, Portland: fit in, houses, landscaping)
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We are native Texans who have lived in NYC and the mountains of Wyoming and are finally moving back near family to raise our kids. We both work from home so commute is not an issue but we will enjoy going into Austin for shopping, eating and fun. Though we are tree-hugging liberals and have always lived in funky one-off places, the kids are casting a new light on things and we're intrigued by the apparent ease of master planned communities. We have 2 under 3 years and being able to walk to pools, playgrounds, ponds & creeks is looking attractive. And to run or bike out the front door or walk to the gym ourselves as well.
Can anyone living in HighPointe answer some questions and tell me what you like/don't like about it?
Looks good on paper but with only 200+ homes built out of 1000+ sites is a big chunk of the place construction zone? Do you really have access to 5 miles of trails already or only a fraction of that until the rest of it is built out over the next 4 years? How close are the current homes/home sites to trail access, pools, various playgrounds and amenity center? Seems like there are trees out in the greenbelts but all the homes sites have been clearcut and replanted with little saplings. Is there shade around any of the houses at all?
And yes, we are coming out in the next month or two to look around for ourselves but I just can't wait that long to get a few questions answered. It's just my nature to gather info and I know the few pictures I've seen don't tell the full story.
Also, how does HP compare to Belterra and Circle C as far as comfort, kid-friendliness and natural surroundings go?
Also, how does HP compare to Belterra and Circle C as far as comfort, kid-friendliness and natural surroundings go?
Circle C is going to beat the other two in terms of 1) location and proximity to Austin amenities, 2) Property taxes and 3) utility costs.
HP and Beltera are both great Master Planned Communities though. Belterra is more built out than HP. HP started as a Pulte neighborhood, but Pulte sold off part of the lots to Wilshire (a good thing in my opinion). I had heard once that an additional number of lots would be sold out to custom builders, but I haven't followed up on that.
The best thing to do is come to Austin and drive to and from all three. The commute from 290 through Oak Hill will be getting worse before it gets better, but it's still not a bad drive depending on what you're use to and where you're coming from.
Thanks for responding. I've done a ton of homework on these areas. And I've read every post on this board that relates to the 3 communities so I know all about the Wilshire homes in HP, the number of homes built vs. number of home sites, number of parks, distances from downtown, taxes, utilities, etc, etc. This site and many of your previous posts have been an excellent resource! Plus I've spoken with HP & BT offices and been sent materials--very slick selling tools.
I guess I'm really looking for a "feel" from the people who are there day to day. Of course, having lived many places I know that there's no real substitute for being on the ground but I just can't get out for another couple of months so this is the next best thing to tide me over until then.
Besides my orig. questions about the ramifications of construction on the quality of life in HP, I am much more interested in opinions on "comfort, kid-friendliness & natural surroundings" than proximity, property taxes & utilities. I know Circle C wins out in those areas but the intangibles may be more important to me in the long run.
And after all I've read about the dreaded Y, I'm so glad neither of us will have to commute. However, my last 2 commutes were through the Lincoln Tunnel and over a 9500 ft mountain pass, even in the Wyomng winter. So I'm no stranger to harsh driving conditions.
I thought Circle C was nice, but the amenities just didn't ring my bells like Belterra and Highpointe. Highpointe seems a little fancier than Belterra. May just be perception, I don't know. The new elementary school is in Belterra, so living there makes it a lot easier to get to. (it serves both Belterra and Highpointe).
I definitely saw more kids in Belterra, and the people I've talked to agree with this. My husband is really leaning towards Belterra, but for some reason Highpointe appeals to me more. Belterra is about five minutes closer to Austin than Highpointe.
Both neighborhoods have lots of greenspaces, and compared to the neighborhoods we've lived in in Salt lake and Portland, there are lots more trees and "nature areas". People on this board like to rag on subdivisions a lot, but Belterra and Highpointe are heads above most of the other subdivisions I've looked at in Austin (or in several other states, for that matter.) The clubhouses/pools/sports amenities are unbelievable! We have nothing like them here in Salt Lake.
A couple of the houses we looked at in Belterra have connecting greenspaces, so that kids can walk all the way to school without ever having to set foot on a road. I don't know if all of Belterra is set up this way, but I thought that was pretty cool.
I don't know where we'll end up in the Austin area. We have six kids (ages 1-12) so there are not a lot of houses that we fit in. Kids and kid-friendly amenities are really important to us, and both Highpointe and Belterra seem to really fill the requirements we have.
We are closing on our Belterra home in less than a week and couldn't be more excited about it. We have 2 children (ages 6 and 4) and felt at home in Belterra the moment we drove in. We have been to the pool almost every day for a month straight and it still feels like I am living in a beautiful spa. So much green and beautiful landscaping. People seem very friendly too. We usually meet and play with the other children swimming at the pool or playing at the many parks available. The walking paths are very serene and you really get a sense of being out in nature. I love the wide open space feeling.
As far as trees on lots, there are definitely lots with many trees (live oaks and cedars) and those have less, if any. Drive around when you get here and you can see what I mean. We choose a very wooded lot and our builder did an amazing job of building around big trees kept in the front and back yard. We are new construction but it feels like the house has been there for years.
I was hesitant at first about moving out "so far" and the drive is still something I am getting used to. Circle C is by far the better choice if you want really easy access to downtown/Zilker Park etc. I have heard that Dripping Springs is getting built out much more and possibly even a park such as Zilker will be created. Anyone else heard this?
In a nutshell, Belterra meets our needs of being very family-oriented, having lots of options for activities right out our front door, built in groups such as Belterra Book Club and Bunko, beautiful serene living, and an option to build but with full grown trees.
I haven't officially lived there yet, so I may not have the same perspective as others who have.
FYI: I think I may be one of the few who lives/will live in Belterra and visits this board. I remember asking very similar questions months ago when we were deciding on Belterra and didn't get much feedback from those living there. I do have to thank AustinSteve though---I respect his opinions and he wrote a nice post that settled my qualms.
I have heard that Dripping Springs is getting built out much more and possibly even a park such as Zilker will be created. Anyone else heard this?
Well, you're proving the media hype works. What I believe you read was an article about a new development that "will have more green space than Zilker Park". That's in terms of acreage of undeveloped land. The name of the new subdivision escapes me at the moment.
A new trend is to cluster the homes together and have large, vast amounts of shared open space. In other words, instead of having 100 homes on 200 acres, with every home having a 1 to 2 acre lot, the homes are clustered 2 to 4 per acre and the entire community has 150 acres of shared open space with hike/bike trais, etc. Belterra is an example, though much large than 200 acres.
This is good, in my opinion. The only downside is the proximity to your neighbor. For some people, that's a deal killer, having a neighbor 5 ft away on both sides. On the other hand, having acreage isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's very expensive and time consuming to care for a 2 acre lot, and unless you have horses or need the space, it's all just buffer zone anyway.
We are closing on our Belterra home in less than a week and couldn't be more excited about it. We have 2 children (ages 6 and 4) and felt at home in Belterra the moment we drove in. We have been to the pool almost every day for a month straight and it still feels like I am living in a beautiful spa. So much green and beautiful landscaping. People seem very friendly too. We usually meet and play with the other children swimming at the pool or playing at the many parks available. The walking paths are very serene and you really get a sense of being out in nature. I love the wide open space feeling.
As far as trees on lots, there are definitely lots with many trees (live oaks and cedars) and those have less, if any. Drive around when you get here and you can see what I mean. We choose a very wooded lot and our builder did an amazing job of building around big trees kept in the front and back yard. We are new construction but it feels like the house has been there for years.
I was hesitant at first about moving out "so far" and the drive is still something I am getting used to. Circle C is by far the better choice if you want really easy access to downtown/Zilker Park etc. I have heard that Dripping Springs is getting built out much more and possibly even a park such as Zilker will be created. Anyone else heard this?
In a nutshell, Belterra meets our needs of being very family-oriented, having lots of options for activities right out our front door, built in groups such as Belterra Book Club and Bunko, beautiful serene living, and an option to build but with full grown trees.
I haven't officially lived there yet, so I may not have the same perspective as others who have.
FYI: I think I may be one of the few who lives/will live in Belterra and visits this board. I remember asking very similar questions months ago when we were deciding on Belterra and didn't get much feedback from those living there. I do have to thank AustinSteve though---I respect his opinions and he wrote a nice post that settled my qualms.
Tanyagail,
We too are moving to Belterra, closing in 3 weeks and so excited! Do you still love it? Have you ventured downtown yet, and how is the drive? Not that I plan to drive there a lot, but, maybe some! Maybe we will see you at the pool. I have a 3 year old, can't wait!
Hi Amy!
We do still love it. And we venture downtown all the time--not a bad drive really, just about 25 minutes or less. Just had dinner tonight at the Clay Pit (great indian food) and walked around the capital. Belterra is a nice retreat from the hustle bustle of downtown and especially from the shops of 290/Brodie (your big box stores).
Congrats on your move!
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