Fall Creek In Allen VS Richwoods/Lawler Park in Frisco (Plano: power lines, houses)

[DFWUser1]

All, we looked thoroughly at communities in Allen (creekside - builders coventry homes, david weekly), Fall creek (Standard pacific homes) and Richwoods/Lawler park in Frisco.

Liked Allen communities as surrounding areas very beautiful (especially fall creek with lots of trees), small communities of about 100 homes with mature trees and reasonably good builders.

Very near to McKinney Towne Center for easy shopping, Stonebriar, Village at Allen, super easy access to 121/75. Technically this is Allen, but custer/121 divides Plano, Frisco, Allen, Mckinney.

2nd is Richwoods, Lawler park - Richwoods seems to be very very huge community, which we didn't like it that much. Entrance, amenity center looks grand, but once we are deep inside, nothing so special with lots of East asians/Indians. Hardly we found other people.

For us Lawler park is comparatively better in terms of feel, builders, but rear entry garages is a turn-off. Front entry homes are too expensive starting at 500K+

Allen communities/Fall creek, surrounding areas seems very nice, look and feel wise, accessibility wise compared to Richwoods/Lawler park.

Did all the research on Schools, looks like the schools are comparable, not much of a difference at Elementary, Middle school level - It seems Allen schools (Kerr elementary/Erickson middle) that feed fall creek are better than new Frisco elementary/middle schools as Frisco schools are brand new and no statistics yet. Though there are mixed views on Allen/Frisco High school, it is not a consideration for us since High school is 10+ years away for our kids (kids are 6 & 2 year old).

All our research, comfort feel is about Allen Fall creek & creek side...BUT Richwoods, Lawler park seems to be selling soooo fast compared to Allen neighborhoods....

So, just wondering if we are missing something? Or is it the hype about Frisco and Allen neighborhoods are not publicized that much like that of Richwoods/Lawler park?

Any one looked at these two places? What is your opinion? Just want to make sure that we are not missing any info in the comparison to take a decision.

Please provide your inputs on these locations/neighborhoods from your perspective.

[TotallyTexasBound]

From a prospective buyer - we recently looked in many of the same areas. I thought Richwoods was OK, but I thought the gated entry was ridiculous. Can't say that we noticed the demographics, but did leave thinking that the area felt uncomfortable - faux pretentiousness.

We liked Fall Creek as a neighborhood, but didn't like that there was only one builder and there was not a neighborhood pool, which I think is pretty much a necessary for resale (Consider your future competition). Same thing with Creekside - no pool.

Have you looked at Cumberland Crossing (Drees & Grand), Cypress Meadows (American Legend & Normandy), or Star Creek (Highland & Darling). Each neighborhood has it's positives & negatives. If you liked Fall Creek, you should definitely look at Star Creek, they are approaching the final buildout, which may be good for getting a good deal if you are not picky about lots. Only negative to SC was it's proximity to power lines on the east side & traffic associated with the outlet mall.

[keribeth818]

We looked in the same areas, as well as established areas in Plano. I chose Allen for a lot of the reasons you listed. I had the same feeling about Richwoods. I just couldnt drive through that gate every day. Ridiculous! But some folks like it. I didnt know about the demographics at the time but, yes, last I heard it was 85% southeast asian if that's an important factor (pro or con). Homes are selling as quickly as they can build them here, maybe for that unique characteristic. I remember being impressed with the plans for ammenities and the location is great. Lawler commands a high price for the location and the Builder. The homes are beautiful but I coudn't justify the price for those tiny lots! I remember looking at Tucker Hill in McKinney and feeling the same thing. I loved the homes but the lots were a deal breaker for our two active boys.

I think the schools in Allen at the Elementary and Middle School level are great and we have time to assess the high school to see if it will be a good fit. My kids are 2 and 4 and I doubt we will be living in the same house by the time we have to make that decision.

Happy hunting!

[frenzyrider]

I think all of them are great communities with pros and cons for each of them. It will be difficult to select based on opinions here. I agree LP is better than Richwoods in the sense it is smaller and green(er) especially the Phase 3 in the 75s that connects to the six city trail. We did not consider Allen as much for some other personal reasons.

[bamaintex]

So, I can speak to the elementary school you mentioned in Allen, Kerr. Kerr is a really good school that is well established and has a great staff. Two of my children attend Kerr on a caregiver transfer and they love it. I haven't met anyone yet that lives in the Falls, but know several who live in Cumberland Crossing. Personally, I like Cumberland Crossing better, the houses seem to have more character. All of the ones I've seen by driving by the Falls seem to look alike.

Someone else mentioned Star Creek. I live in the older section on the west side of the creek, and it is a great neighborhood. Even though it's close to being built out, the houses are selling as fast as they can build them, and the prices have continued to rise for the new construction. I heard the other day that most remaining homes are Highland. Existing homes in Star Creek are also going pretty quickly. The neighbor behind me sold his house the first day it was listed for over listing price. Funny though, they moved to another existing house in Star Creek. Traffic going towards 75 on Stacy can be a pain, but I generally avoid it by going south to Exchange. If you are going past 75 on Stacy (east), the left lanes move better, but the right lane to get on 75 South backs up pretty significantly.

[bamaintex]

Originally Posted by Arborhiller

We looked in the same areas and picked a prestigious and established community in Far West Plano because we loved the custom style, character and friendly feel of the neighborhood. It is also ideal for commute in any direction being near the junction of DNT, 121 and 190. Schools are obviously superior and education is a priority in our family.

All of the above mentioned subdivisions are pretty much similar with their own pros and cons but there is no clear winner. It all depends on which neighborhood, builder, schools and location works for you. That being said, if Southasian concentration of Richwood is an issue for OP then Kerr Elementry wouldn't work either. Kerr's demographic is nearly 40% Asian/Southasian.

I agree about the demographic of Kerr. In some classes the 40% is even low. My daughter was one of only 5 caucasians in her 2nd grade class of 20 kids with 12 of those remaining 15 being Asian/Southasian. I appreciate the diversity though.

[DFWUser1]

Thanks all for your comments, inputs. We looked at Cypress meadows - custer and Mcdermott - also a very good location and community. Now the 3 Allen communities seems to be the better options in terms of surrounding areas, accessibility etc. compared to the frisco one. All of them are more or less in the similar price range.
Star Creek is also very good, but again rear entry garages. Though LP is good, again rear entry garages will not work for us as we are new to that concept (we moved from east).
If you have any other inputs on these frisco vs. allen communities, please suggest. Doesn't seem to be so easy to take such a big decision yet..

[bamaintex]

I had never seen rear entry garages before either, but you should give them a chance. I love it now. There are a few homes in Star Creek that have front entry. I wouldn't let the garage location narrow your choices. The areas you are researching are a majority rear entry and homes are hard enough to find here.

[sidhall]

We were looking at the exact same communities, and ended up building in Fall Creek. Schools are really good, front entry garages, and we really liked the floor plans of the builder. Very nice walking trails that connect to the Allen trail system.

[veuvegirl]

We ended up choosing Twin Creeks, loved the establish neighborhood and husband had to have a pool! We had our son enrolled at Ereckson and loved, loved, loved it. We moved last year and the principal at Ereckson, amazing. Daughter went to Boon, great school as well.

Twin Creeks mostly has the annoying rear garage, you get used to it!