Heritage at Vizcaya 55+ Community- Any thoughts? (Austin, Round Rock: new house, pricing, stores)

[LJP29]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Oh, yeah...plant a few Monterrey Oaks near the house on all sides(except north, if you wish), wait two years and then move in!!! Shade is your friend in central Texas

Lol! We will plant them anyway, then, the years do go by fast! We really hadn't thought about the trees with the heat.

The big draw for us with this community is that it's brand new (so we could chose options), we would be moving in with lots of other newcomers, which would significantly increase our chance of making friends right away--(not the easiest thing to do when you are a bit older like us) and the amenities. But the tree factor will be on our list of things to really think about as we move towards a decision. We really appreciate these thoughts.

[LJP29]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Oh, yeah...plant a few Monterrey Oaks near the house on all sides(except north, if you wish), wait two years and then move in!!! Shade is your friend in central Texas

Responded to your post but not seeing it here, so will do it again. If we end up here, we will plant those Monterrey Oaks anyway, great idea, and the years go by fast. But we really hadn't given too much thought to the lack of trees, and now will.
What draws us to this community, coming from the east coast and knowing no one in Austin (except kids) is that a new development would mean lots of people (in our age group, too) moving in at same time, increasing our chances of making friends, and we are very social people. And we like the idea of "new" and the amenities. And RR seems like a great area. But then, there are the trees... it's going to be hard to find it all, I am thinking.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by BerryCobbler

Bad link; can you please provide the search terms? Thanks!

Vizcaya search in the Austin forum. Not sure what happened with the link.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by LJP29

Lol! We will plant them anyway, then, the years do go by fast! We really hadn't thought about the trees with the heat.

The big draw for us with this community is that it's brand new (so we could chose options), we would be moving in with lots of other newcomers, which would significantly increase our chance of making friends right away--(not the easiest thing to do when you are a bit older like us) and the amenities. But the tree factor will be on our list of things to really think about as we move towards a decision. We really appreciate these thoughts.

The site plan shows Pickleball courts...automatic friendship-building vehicle in the 'hood!!!(Although, I'll admit I prefer playing indoors regardless of the weather ).

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by LJP29

Thank you riaelise. Do you mind sharing where your mom ended up?
We did notice the lack of trees in the development and in that area in general, but coming from a wooded area on the east coast, where in recent
years two huge trees fell into our house (and did major damage) during violent storms, I've always said our next house would
be in a field, lol. But yes I do imagine that the heat would be more intense without the shade provided by trees. It's all of these little things that we need to think about, and appreciate having them pointed out to us, or being reminded about them.
Thanks so much for taking time to respond.

She bought a house in Georgetown (berry creek). the community is not age restricted.

I know about the danger of trees, but trust me, there's no way I'd live on a barren lot ever again. We have ten trees, mostly oaks. They dump leaves and crap at least half the year. But they are very valuable, even more valuable than the home itself. Their canopies actually protects the house during storms. The shade does help when it comes to utilities. And then there's just the enjoyment factor of not having the sun blazing down on one's head. We have a HUGE red oak that hangs over the pool. Talk about an ideal location, as the pool area is shaded after 3 pm.

Planting trees now won't be of much use for at least ten years, probably more.

Our former home was a new build on farmland. Those trees never grew to a good enough height to make a difference..and basically you couldn't be in the backyard between 4-8. Trees were high on our wish list for the new home.

You might also want to check out the older resale homes in Sun City. That community is sprawling, with some new construction but talk about cookie cutter and again, no trees.

Another plus for Vizkaya though is its close proximity to new, state of the art medical facilities. Not saying that you'll be needing them anytime soon, but it is nice to have close by.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Planting trees now won't be of much use for at least ten years, probably more.

.

I beg to differ, respectfully. Our Monterrey Oak is providing great shade for the breakfast room windows as well as the patio, even though it's only in its third year in the ground here. It has reached the gutters of the second story roofline. Just the one tree makes a huge difference in our summer afternoon comfort on that side of the house. Three would be better; but we have utilities underground and need landscaper access.


I wouldn't plant Pin or Live Oaks for shade unless you are hoping your grandkids will enjoy them

I'd attach a pic if this site would allow the only size I have on hand.

[LJP29]

I love trees but know very little about the different kinds of trees. I am about to google Monterrey Oaks and am so glad to know they are fast growers... just in case. So thanks for this.

And btw i have never played pickle ball but I would try it for sure, if it meant a way to meet people!

[LJP29]

The "no tree" issue definitely has me really thinking about this issue now, although the more I think about H at V, the more I am attracted to it for so many reasons, and the pros are mounting, too. It did occur to me that while without trees it would be sweltering, here on the east coast, we only go from the house to the car to wherever we are going, and spend zero time outdoors from mid-November until mid or late March (except to walk the dog) because it's so darn cold. So the heat there could be compared to winters here. I need to hold on to this thought.
Heritage is as far north as we will go, (and that is pushing it) because while we are retired, we know in advance that should we move there, we will spend A LOT of time, due to our interests and possible P/T work, down towards the city- almost every day for my husband. And there's something about Sun City that just doesn't do it for us. Our kids will likely end up on Dripping Springs, so that's another reason why we don't want to go any further north than this. And we love the tax rate at Heritage, it's the lowest one we've found so far. Thank you for bringing up the state-of-the-art medical facilities. I'm checking into that now! Super important! Oh and I see that an amazing new library is slated to be constructed in RR in 2012.

Do you know if there are any plans for building a Trader Joes or Whole Foods closer in to Round Rock?
These are my go-to stores, and I don't love having to do way down to The Domain area. But I would.

I hope your mom is happy in Georgetown- this is such a lovely town and area. We love it there. If she just recently relocated, I hope that she has settled in happily, and is meeting new friends. All of this is hard for those of us who are relocating from afar to be near our kids-- it's a very difficult (as in agonizing) decision. We will look back one day and say one of two things: "It was the BEST decision I ever made", or "I don't know what I was thinking.". Should we do this, we will do everything in our power to make it possible to say the first.
Appreciate all of your thoughts, and welcome anything else that might come to your mind. Thank You!

[Trainwreck20]

Second on the 'Monterrey Oaks', which are actually Mexican White Oak officially, I think. The grow very fast, yet retain their strength. This lessens the risk of storm damage to your house caused by broken trees. They generally hold their leaves all winter and drop them in the spring as the new leaves push out the old. Our Monterrey was around 30' at 7 years - they grow insanely fast. Unfortunately, it got hit by a car and died sometime after that .

For an option that will allow winter sun, the Chinquapin Oak is a good option, as well. Not quite as fast growing, but still pretty quick and very strong. It has huge leaves and acorns, but tends to drop their leaves at the first cold snap. You then have sun through the winter months, which is sometimes nice.

Both are white oaks, which makes them oak-wilt resistant. And any trees will add to the value of your property over time - especially if your neighbors don't plant them or they plant 'waste' trees - i.e Bradford Pear.

[Trainwreck20]

As an aside, my mom is in a 55+ community in Fredericksburg. In a community like hers, you have to work to NOT make friends.

My in-laws are in Woodcreek (north of Wimberley) which might as well be a 55+ community. Probably 80% retired folks. It has a gold course, which has worked out very nicely for my in-laws.