Rowlett? (Dallas, Austin, Garland: 2011, new house, transfer)

[Vicman]

The Rockwall County bit of Garland is in Rockwall ISD, though.

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Your kidding right? If you don't mind paying a high water bill then you'll be happy there. But seriously, I had one for an empty house that was over $300. They raised their rates twice this summer alone. I've got some pics of the area but have had trouble getting them posted (operator error and learning to work photobucket ). "Highly educated", just because they have a college degree does not put them up there with being smart. To be honest, there really are not that many "highly educated" people that live there. It is not an "upscale" place at all. There are literally three small and I mean REALLY SMALL neighborhoods that are home to the people in Rowlett that really do have money and most of them do not send their kids to school there. The only ones that do tend to send their kids to the public schools in the GISD are the kids that get into the academies. And if you do REALLY have money and live there........ forget it, you will not be happy. There are A LOT of people that live there that act like they have money and are pretty rude and put down people that really do have money. It's really sad. Any new development that wants to come in to attract the upper-middle or upper class is put down right and left. I could tell you so much about that it's not even funny. Again, it really is sad as there used to be a lot of successful small business owners that lived in Rowlett that owned local companie but most have moved out.

Then it is not a well kept city. If I could get those pics up you'd see. And if the council tries to pass a bond to do improvements.......... omy, the complaining and the naysayers come out of the woodwork. They even turned down a bond to at least get the public library up to minimium standards. A new fire station WHY?!?!?!?!?! Yet they want everything in the world handed to them but do not want to pay for it. To me, this is NOT the city of "highly educated" people if they can not figure out that these services have to be paid for. The complain about the state of the streets and alleys but refuse to approve bonds to get the work done. They have even fought to keep Hwy 190 from coming thru. LOL!!! They constantly complain about the city council but no one is willing to step up and do it themselves. It's pathetic.

Waterview. Your serious? Do you know how many homes in that neighborhood are foreclosed on? Are you aware that it borders the new City of Garland landfill? Are you aware of the traffic issues to get in and out of that area? It ain't what it is all cracked up to be. The golf course is nice but there are some in the city that want to shut it down. LOL!!!! Then what? hahahaha Okay, the City of Garland owned the land for the landfill for a LONG TIME. The city of Rowlett started to grow and they had this land out there in the middle of nowhere by the backwater of Lake Ray Hubbard (Muddy Creek). So a developer and the city put their heads together to find away to make this area attractive to somebody. So they came up w/ a golf course community with a giant community waterpark/pool. Touted it as "THE PLACE" to live in Rowlett. And people bought into it.

Do some google research for Rowlett and community forum and find the local city forum (gorowlett ). Read on there and you'll get a good idea of the mentality of the people that live there. And if I get the time later on I'll try to get those pics over here for you. Fire away with any questions you have about the area as I'm VERY familiar with it. BTW, if you are looking for areas w/ highly educated people, not poor with friendly people I'll suggest two that are not too far away that are both golf course communities: The Shores in Rockwall and the Firewheel area of Garland. MUCH BETTER!

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by eray

MOMO
When it comes to Rowlett, you do not know what you are talking about. I am sure that some of what you are saying is probably true about resistance to change but it is probably true of many small communities that experience the burst of growth that Rowlett has exerienced. Just because you are aware of a few that are uninformed or "set in their ways" does not represent the mass majority of Rowlett. Rowlett is an oasis in the middle of the bigger city life of Dallas and Garland. I rarely would ever take the time to write anything like this, but what you said about Rowlett is stupid.
Rowlett is a great place to live and raise a family. The schools are great. There are many, many highly educated homeowners in Rowlett.
Respectfully your opinion is very uneducated in itself. And it is just "your" opinion.
This has been my opinion. ERAY

First, it is "mom" not "momo" (mom of 2 dfw). Secondly, what I wrote about Rowlett for the most part is FACT and not my "opinion". There is no disputing most of it. I DO in fact KNOW what I am talking about when it comes to Rowlett, lived there and have been living near it for most of my life. And if you want to talk about resistence to change, I'm a native Dallasite, I've seen it all and adapted very well to all of the changes. People that move to an area that is part of a large metropolitan city and are naive enough to believe that the other farm fields will always remain such are only fooling themselves. So yes, people in Rowlett do tend to be resistant to changes and even changes that are for the better. It is also true that the home values in Rowlett have not increased. It is also true that they have the highest water rates and property tax rates yet the community looks like a dump. It is true that Waterview backs up to a large landfill. But hey, go ahead and believe what you want. I was just posting the info for the person inquiring about the place and I wanted them to be fully aware of what it is there so that they don't get let down. If you think what I wrote is "stupid"......... oh well, at least I can see the place for what it is and I'm not afraid to tell the truth. I do hope you enjoy living there.

[Suburb_Mom]

Eray,

I'm so very glad that someone finally said something that was a little more open minded and I'm in total agreement with you. Based on the views that I've seen, it seems there are folks that have WAYYYY too much time on thier hands bashing a community then seeing the positives of it. The responses coming back to the positive posts are disturbing and condesending and shows lack of character; I would question the other things being said about other communities. Though I may be only a junior member, this is easy to see by those new to the forum too. I would hope that someone wouldn't make a decision based upon these type of closed minded negative posts that don't show any positives about the community. I too do not post and I certainly don't have the time to put into this thing as others seem to have, but I will say that after all the communities that I saw when I first relocated to Texas, and having lived in "masterplanned communities for the past 10 years", I am very happy to be living in Rowlett. I am not uneducated and neither are my neighbors. The five neighbors that live around me are Drs., Realtors, Lawyers (2), and Public Officials, all living in Waterview. The community appeals to families with homes as inexpensive as the mid 100's to upwards of 400+. We have all made Rowlett our home for many of the same reasons but I can only give you mine. The fact of the matter is that EVERY city has it's negatives and positives, but if all you see are the negatives, you are likely to miss out on many of the great positives.

1. I love the fact that I can hop on the 30 and the 190 in the future and be in Dallas or to other major freeway. I live far enough away from Dallas but still close enough there if I were to commute there daily.

2. The construction is terrible but Rowlett Road will be wonderful to travel on once that's all done, and, it almost is.

3. I love the fact that there are other's in the community looking to preserve some of the things I love about the community. The fact that every morning I have the opportunity to take back roads and my children can see 'farm animals', something they never got to see before is something that can't be replaced when you live in a place that doesn't have it. Once it's gone, it's gone. I want my children to experience that.

4. The thing I noticed immediatly from when I left Garland to come into Rowlett was how clean it appeared to be. Now, there are areas where weeds are way overgrown, and some houses in bad condition, but again, if you can name a city where that DOESN'T happen, you are truely close to Godliness. The city has placed recepticles on major streets and yes, they actually get used. The city is sprucing up the place and I absolutely love the old town feeling I get when I walk down main street and hit the farmers market. As far as the library goes, quaint comes to mind. Useful, clean and well appointed. The staff are extremely helpful. They'll even order the latest material from other libraries ahead of time for you if they don't have it in stock.

5. Accessability to the lake. There are some homes that back right up to the lake. Granted, the lack of rain has not only affected this lake but others throughout the state. For that matter, nearly anyone living on a lake in Texas will have that problem. Still, it's a nice view during the sunset. I also enjoy the short commute to the Harbor for their Thursday night concert series.

6. Waterview is close to the landfill and my realtor did mention it, but, the fact of the matter is, there is another community right across the street as well. The fact of the matter is, it goes unnoticed. There are NO houses anywhere near it at all. There is NO smell from it at all. There is NO decrease in the community because of it at all. There is a City of Rowlett park which backs to the Wateveiw golf course. The community of Waterview is a GREAT place to live! The FIRST thing we noticed when we drove threw it was how many families were sitting out in front of their homes chatting with their neighbors and their kids playing together. The kids tend to come and go from one neighbor's house to another and most (at least in our area) parents take a real inititive to be involved with the families. One of the selling features wasn't the ammenites, but of the neighborhood structure. The pictures I've seen DO NOT represent this community as a whole. It would be the same if someone went to ANY neighborhood in ANY city and snapped a picture of a the bad house or road.

7. Those who live in Rowlett are well aware of the road conditions and currently see that they are being repaired. They see the improvements that are being made. They may not be made in a timely fashion that everyone wants, however, improvements ARE visible. Rowlett cares about it's citizens and the Parks and Recreations Department does a good job of providing ample opportunities for family outings. Remember, this isn't a huge metropolitan and the people to who live here realize that as well. The city does a good job with the monies allocated-as well as any other city-I suppose but it appears it's main focus is to keep the city more of a small town feel, which, is just fine by me. Police enforcement are highly visible and I like that as well.

Overall, I find Rowlett a very good place to live. I do beleive that if you are going to rate a city so to speak for people looking into places to live, you should be fair and give both the positive and negatives about it. I can't speak for anyone but frankly, the MASSIVE amount of energy placed on showing NOTHING but the negative side of one community by one poster, leads me to question why someone would take such interest in bashing a community they don't even live in. The negative vibes coming out of these are not representative of the people who live in Rowlett. Whatever the case, I do hope that anyone thinking of moving to Rowlett will look past all of that and see the community as a safe, family orientated community set on preserving the little things that are truly important.

[rowlett mom]

Oh I do agree and have wondered the same thing about why people post such negative comments. We have been in Rowlett since 93 and still see all the good things going on. It's safe, convienient, has good schools and the lake access is great. We live in an older neighborhood of semi custom homes that would be considered small by todays standards. yet our neighborhood has remained well kept and house values have increased.
Come see for yourself if you haven't been to Rowlett in awhile, there is a difference and a reason why so many people want to move here. It's nice to see someone else standing up for Rowlett, of course if people just drive through and check it out for themselves they will be scratching their heads wondering why the negative posts

[momof2dfw]

I think ya'll need to pull your heads out of the sand. I'll post some posts that have been done BY some of your FELLOW ROWLETT RESIDENTS some of which are IN Waterview. Oh, and no smell from the landfill, HAHAHAHAHAAHA - now that is a good one that even my own kids would get a kick out of being that they have had enough soccer games that they have played with their hands or shirts over their faces to keep from gagging. Oh, and you better check what is going on CURRENTLY with the city budget and the proposed cuts - not so good considering that 27 jobs will cut along w/ firefighter and police cuts. Anyway, here are some posts by others NOT me on other forums that tell the truth:

"Re: City employees losing jobs
« Reply #2 on: Jul 19th, 2007, 9:26pm »

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Yes, I have heard about the 27 employees losing their jobs, and for what? I feel very sorry for these 27 people and their families, all so the new council can meet their personal agendas. The city services will suffer greatly! And you cant tell me otherwise, you can not expect 1 person to do 2 peoples job; the services will be decreased that is the bottom line. Not to metion that these people put their trust into a growing city and came to work here to better our lives as citizens and now they will be forced to look for a job elsewhere. I encourage everyone to look on the city website under council agendas and take a look at all the cuts being puposed, and if you have it anywhere in your heart please come to the next public budget meeting and speak out against all these cuts on August 21. Because all the city services that we have today will not be maintained if this new budget gets approved. They are talking about cutting dispatch positions in the 911 center, so what does that mean if you have an emergency and they are already on the phone with a 911 call then you will just be put on hold, this is unaccetable. They are trying to cut our fire personnels training. How are they going to be able to better protect us and themselves if we allow them to cut training. They are proposing cutting a school resource officer for the elementary schools that means 1 school resource officer for 9 elementary schools how can that one officer make it around to all 9 schools everyday and be effective, and what about all the school programs that the officers do at the elementary schools now that will suffer greatly there is no way that one officer can do those programs at 9 schools and be effective. I would like to applaud Dennis Aslup for standing up against the mayor and his "Klan" tonight at the meeting, and speaking out against these cuts. I hope more citizens will follow his lead and step up to the plate and speak out that is if the mayor allows any citizens input unlike he did tonight. The Police and Fire had a great showing toinight at the meeting and I am proud to see that they are not just laying down and taking this lightly! "

And another:

Re: City employees losing jobs
« Reply #3 on: Jul 19th, 2007, 9:39pm »

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This money that they will be "saving" by firing all of these people isn't even going toward reducing taxes. It's going toward street projects. Didn't our new Mayor say that we had too many street projects going on at one time?

I heard someone say that one of these people losing their job has been with the city for 24 years! I'm ashamed that our city would treat loyal employees like this! It will be hard for our city to get good people to come to work here if this is how they will be treated.

Then these posts about all of the big box empty buildings:

Re: More Empty Stores
« Reply #44 on: Jul 17th, 2007, 7:49pm »

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The reason I moved here in 1989 was because of the very small town atmosphere..... population was less than 10,000 and it sure worked for me..

Wished it would have stayed that way....now we have the big town problems with the small town mentality running the show..Rowlett still LOOKS like a small farm town with large lots and fields and ditches of unmowed weeds...

Which company in their right mind would even think of moving to a place that has no respect for itself..is our city just too lazy to clean itself up?? Homeowners sure are put on the spot for long weeds and grass, why doesnt the city manager take a look at his own back yard??


If *I* owned a business and was looking for a place to build, I know I would look for places that at least TRIED to have some self-respect.

more:
Reply #23 on: Jul 3rd, 2007, 5:29pm »

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It's not open yet, but i'm thinking the "Family Video" will be another empty building for Rowlett within 18 months of it's grand opening.

why was that even approved?

netflix, blockbuster seemed to have that market covered.

/shrug


i hope George Bush Freeway opens soon in Rowlett.... and I hope we get some nice sit-down restaurants and shopping... hopefully George Bush through Rowlett will be well-planned and nicely landscaped.

Hopefully everything will be carefully planned on George Bush and we won't see 3 chicken drive thrus, 4 barbeque joints, 2 tattoo parlors, a pawn shop, a porn shop, and 6 closed down businesses on the new george bush in Rowlett.

The landscaping on George Bush will further make or break Rowlett's image when driving through this city. I'm crossing my fingers for impressive landscaping and "higher class shopping and restaurant" feel when driving through Rowlett on George Bush.

How long has old Brookshires been vacant?

Now Albertsons.... seems like something is wrong.... where is the progress?

and more
Re: More Empty Stores
« Reply #24 on: Jul 4th, 2007, 12:38am »

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Brookshires has been vacant for 10 years maybe? The owner is from New York and not part of the rest of the shopping center. The NY guys don't care if it is leased or not. They have many empty buildings like that all over the US is what I hear. They don't care if it is leased or not.

The rest of the shopping center is supposed to get rennovated this year, but the road work has hurt all the businesses so much in that area that it may be delayed.

Another "positive" citizen:

Re: More Empty Stores
« Reply #14 on: May 15th, 2007, 10:20am »

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Something is not right. From Centerville to Dalrock on 66 there are 15 banks, and 3 SONIC’S. That is a bit ridiculous. We have had some good openings like chili’s, chick fil a, the bowling alley….but I don’t know if what is going up will attract home buyers to want to come here. Arby’s…that’s lousy.

These half empty shopping centers are turning into eye soars.

Fed Ex/Kinko’s is a great idea, it will help the small business owners in the community. I think Chili’s needs a little competition as well. Unless we are going to the bank or eating fast food, we have to leave the city for everything else. What about a pet store or something for entertainment….a movie theatre.

I am hopeful things can get better.



Hmmm, guess I'm not alone and these are just a few posters from one site. Now, let me go to the OTHER one that really hammers some other stuff in the fine city.

[momof2dfw]

More views from posters on another forum that LIVE IN Rowlett:
__________________________________________________ ____
Post subject: House's for sale in Waterview Posted: Jul 06, 2007 - 01:01 PM

At last count there are currently 98 homes for sale in our community. I know that Waterview is big but can someone tell me the number of homes there are more or less?

I was surprised to learn the value of my home right now compared with what I paid for it 2 yrs ago.

response from another:
Post subject: Posted: Jul 11, 2007 - 12:22 PM

I don't know how many houses there are, but my street has quite a few vacant houses.
I'm just getting sick and tire of all these vacant houses and their yards!! The city has had to mow the ones next to me and across the street.
It's ridiculous, we pay too much money to live here.
-
I know I could mow it myself, but it's not my responsibility. Why can't the HOA do something about it? I mean, if I have a 2 inch weed in my flower bed, they are sending me a letter! And, don't forget, if it's been 2 years since you painted your mailbox, please paint it,,,we would hate for it to be such an 'eyesore' to be seen by passers by.....that is, when the lawn next door is mowed down so you can actually SEE the mailbox!

more concerned residents:
Post subject: Waterview Property Values?! Posted: Dec 19, 2006 - 01:52 PM

I drove thru Broadmoor Estates this past weekend and saw at least 6 foreclosures within 2 blocks.
I have lived in waterview for 4 yrs.
I am concerned with the values of our properties due to quick sells and foreclosures.
Our community has great amenities , activities and is well maintained , but these items are not reflected in our listing and sell prices.
The listing and sells prices are a steal just in size and quality of home alone.
I wonder what we as a community could do to improve our values?
List higher
Advertise in more publication and emphasis our AMENITIES
Improve community relations to help improve financial decisions to slow down the quick sell and foreclosure rate.
Keep an eye on LEASE TO OWN deals...source of many negative value factors.

I want to add a pool and spa in my backyard with a nice decor, but Im afraid to add any more amenities to my home due to the sluggish value increases.
You have to know what the value of a community is before you go all out with upgrading your own home.
External factors(neighbors trends and values) can hurt you if you add more than needed.

maybe someone else has the same interest or concern.....

response:
Post subject: RE: Waterview Property Values?! Posted: Dec 19, 2006 - 08:30 PM

We just moved here from out of state, and though I LOVE my house and like the neighborhood, some of the people I see (who I assume are residents) make me wonder about the quality of people this neighborhood is attracting and the amount of foreclosures does frighten me a bit too... If we are getting individuals who are not taking care of their homes and bringing down the quality of the neighborhood, that will negatively impact those of us who DO want to have a nice home, etc.
Do you know, is the construction at the far end going to be an elementary school like I have heard? I hope so...

Yikes:
Post subject: RE: Waterview Property Values?! Posted: Dec 19, 2006 - 09:00 PM

Location: Rowlett, TX

I have lived here about a year and a half (moved from the east coast) and we have had a couple of foreclosures on our street as well. The price of one of the homes on our street should have been around 160-170K but it sold for 90k!!!! (so I heard) that is scary as it is our same model.

Also I think the city of Rowlett needs to do more to attract businesses here. Create a business center/ Restaurant hub. something like:
Reston Town Center
It would be similar to Firewheel but be more geared towards luring large businesses here rather then residential traffic. (ideally it would do both) but several large businesses relocated to out here would help fund more projects for our city like "ROAD IMPROVEMENTS". Also would bring more people looking for homes in the near by vicinity.

Clean up the businesses on 66. 66 looks like a bunch of run down shops. They are un-kept and several look like junkyards. This does not help the image of Rowlett at all.

Seems someone else notices the smell:
Post subject: Dump Really Smells Bad lately Posted: Jan 11, 2007 - 09:10 AM

I don't know about you guys but the neighborhood has really smelled bad lately. I wish they would get rid of that dump! arggghhh

Glad I don't live backed up to this:
Post subject: The Pond on hole 9 is a health hazzard! Posted: May 23, 2007 - 10:55 PM

The pond on hole number 9 has been neglected for over 2 years. The pump that once circulated the water is broken. A dead tree lines its bank and recently, it has become a dumping site for the golf course's grass clippings. Also, snakes have been spotted in resident's yards and mosquitos are a big problem.
After patiently waiting for over 2 years for a resolution, we are still waiting for a committment from the city to fix the problem. The last update from Mr. Brown, Director of Parks and Recreation, was that the pumps in the pond would need a costly repair that may not be completed until next year. I suggest we should push for a more timely resolution.
This is one of the few ponds in Waterview that is the city's responsibility. The rest of the golf course ponds are maintained by our own HOA-kudos to them on the great job they do!
I suggest that we start a calling and email campaign to Mr. Brown expressing our interest in a timely solution to the pond.
I appreciate any community support we can garnish to improve the poor state of our pond.

[rowlett mom]

It is a wait and see game sometimes, I am confindent Rowlett will remain a nice place to live. Mayors can be voted out if they try to move a town in a direction most of the residents don't support. No one likes to hear about people loosing their jobs, but it happens all the time. Small towns are no different. There will be more upscale restaurants in Rowlett eventually.
Remember people like to vent and that is what has been posted here. Once again I can't help but wonder what is behind the attacks? Attacking one small growing town does nothing to help the image of your city. You gain nothing. Rowlett residents are by and large perfectlly happy to live here.
We will proudly hold our heads high knowing our future is a bright one no matter how much you attempt to fool people about our community. Hope everyone has a great day

[Suburb_Mom]

I think you've hit it on the head Rowlett Mom! Imagine the energy that one undertakes in bashing a town that one doesn't even live in and hates to peices. The post speaks for itself. Think about it.. One had to have gotten up that day, actually had the thought in their mind (over everything else that goes on in life )and said, gee, I have nothing better to do with my time so I think I'll go on over to Rowlett which is out of my way (because I wouldn't be dead caught in there as I do so despise it) make sure the camera is loaded up with film, gas up the car and specifically slowly drive around neighborhoods to take pictures of eye sores. I don't know about anyone else but the thought an effort that goes into bashing a town you don't even live in seems a bit, umm, excessive and maybe even a bit obsessive?? Whatever the case, the wisest thing to do when you are making a major move, is to of course visit in person and make an educated decision from there. In the end, it's your own happiness that's going to make your house your home and not the negative thoughts of other's with nothing else in their life to do. Best wishes to everyone looking at buying in Rowlett-it's a great place to live.

[rowlett mom]

you are so very right suburb mom. I thought it was strange as well that someone would put so much time and effort into convincing people to not move here. It's nice to hear from someone else who enjoys living in Rowlett.
You know Super Target opens on sunday and I believe I need some new bath towels! It's so nice to be able to shop in Rowlett and have my tax dollars support my city. Also if you get a chance check out the Tom Thumb, they have put in a fireplace in the eating section accross from Starbucks, very cool.

[Suburb_Mom]

Oh the Target is open NOW. I drove right by it yesterday (the 24th) and saw a ton of cars over there so I stopped and asked an employee. He said the store is OPEN but it was opened silently. I went in and everything is up. The produce is to die for! It's so nice and clean and the people seem to take real pride in the place. I'm soooo glad they came to town. By the way, the back to school section has a GREAT selection of back packs too! And yes, there's a Starbucks inside there as well-lol!