The Preserve at Chino (Fresno, Sacramento: sales, credit, buy)

[chuck22b]

Originally Posted by sheri257

Look ... I'm not trying to knock you guys but, you've also got to tell people realistically what they're getting into.

Fighting the 91 every day is no fun. And the amounts they charge for that toll road is outrageous.

P.S. There's one dairy 20 miles from where I live so I don't smell it. And it's only ONE ... not tons of dairies like in Chino ... where the smell knocks you over as soon as you drive through there.

P.S.S. They grow fruits and vegetables where I live ... which smells pretty nice. Livestock isn't the big commodity here ... vineyards are the big thing, actually.

The cows are cute. And, they produce both Food and ENERGY!
Bioenergy Update December 2002

So, it's not like they get the stuff and put it in my back yard. They're cleaning it up (poop = money) and creating reusable and renewable energies... which last I heard... is where the economy is heading.

California Dairies kick butt and were beating Wisconsin (Happy Cows come from California... and happy cows... except the sad beatened cow... live in Chino ). And... last I heard.. a lot of the ones that left went to the Central Valleys.

Actually a lot of people moving in to the Preserve are also coming from the outskirts of the IE. A drive from Riverside to OC is probably another 45 to an hour of traffic vs a drive from Chino to OC. So, it's actually an improvement without the LA/OC price tags and congestion.

-chuck22b

[sheri257]

Originally Posted by chuck22b

And... last I heard.. a lot of the ones that left went to the Central Valleys.

Not sure what the point to all of this is but ... I live on the Central Coast ... NOT the Central Valley which is hours away.

Anyway ... I'm sure Chino has a lot going for it. Like I said before, I almost went to work there but ...

It's definitely got it's downside. I just think it's misleading to sugarcoat it too much.

[chuck22b]

Originally Posted by sheri257

Not sure what the point to all of this is but ... I live on the Central Coast ... NOT the Central Valley which is hours away.

Anyway ... I'm sure Chino has a lot going for it. Like I said before, I almost went to work there but ...

It's definitely got it's downside. I just think it's misleading to sugarcoat it too much.

I'm not really sugar coating it... I tell people there are cows, dairies, prisons, etc. But, in the most part these things aren't as big of a nuisance as people make them out to be considering what you get and the pros. That's all I'm saying. If I hated it here... I'll definitely tell people.

Just like your view of the Central Coast.... and how you like it there. The cons really don't seem that bad. Likewise, I feel the Preserve, and Chino are generally nice. It's not like I omit things... which would be un-objective.

-chuck22b

[jasmine22]

Man, alot happened on this forum last night!

First, lets talk commute. I'm not too worried about it. Before buying, Ill definitely make the trip in the morning down to Irvine, and the evening up to chino. I'm only going to be on the 91 for 5 miles or so...and I'm only planning to pay one toll fee each way. Chuck is right. If I skip my morning coffee from Starbucks...I wont be putting anything more out of my pocket than usual. I think when I calculated my route at peak commuting hours, It worked out to about 3 bucks per day.

I could look for a job in the IE...but I know I wont make my salary out there. Well...maybe I would...but its a long shot.

Now lets talk about the cow poo. When I went out to Northern Corona, I smelled the poo. No doubt about it. and I new I couldnt live there. It was too smelly for me...and too far out of the way. But...when I went to the Preserve last weekend...even with the gust of winds...it was not bad. It smelled different there...but it wasnt bad. In time, I prolly wont even notice it. Visitors will smell it when they come out from Orange County...but it is to be expected in an ag town. Honestly, Im more worried about the flies.

My husband and I arent going to move till July of 09...but the Preserve is high on our list. I am looking forward to the sense of community, the square footage...having my own driveway and backyard...did i mention the SQUARE FOOTAGE?

as for the prisons, we lived in santa clarita a couple years back, where there is a max security prison. i never felt threatened by having the prison there...in fact, i liked it because the town was filled with law enforecement officers making their home there. i liked that alot.

im wondering about resale value. my husband has heard some rumblings about them possibly tearing down the deteriorating prison...nothing more.

lastly, ive been researching foreclosures in the preserve and ive come across a few. we're thinking that it may be wise for us to just buy one of those for $50-$60K less than it would cost us to buy a brand new home. what do you guys think?

alright, i think that is all. thanks! look forward to your feedback.

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

As a long time ex commuter to Irvine (I landed an IE job that pays OC salary), the toll road commute both ways is about 16o a month. Add gas expenses to that and there goes your increase in salary for working in Irvine. When I used to live in Sierra del Oro, it would take me 20 minutes to get ON the 91. Another 15 minutes to get ON the toll road. We are talking a 3 mile stretch from Green River road. You may say you only want the toll road one way but later you will change your mind!

As for the cows. I guess you get used to the smell. When I was dating my wife I would exit Euclid and drive all the way up to Chino. I would always joke about opening my windows in my car to smell the 'fresh air'. I also enjoyed the nice change in scenery compared to the hustle and bustle of other areas. Now that has changed. Too much building. I miss the country vibe. Still there but too much has changed.

btw I live in Chino around the intersection of mountain and Riverside, newer community. When I was still working in Irvine, it would take me about 75 minutes to get there using the toll road leaving at 8am.

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

I would say yes, definitely look into the foreclosures. Most homes are only what? 2-3 years old? So you could get an awesome deal now compared to paying for new. Unless you are one of those snobs that will only have new or nothing at all! hehe . .

[chuck22b]

Originally Posted by jasmine22

I could look for a job in the IE...but I know I wont make my salary out there. Well...maybe I would...but its a long shot.

As more "professionals" like you and I move out here... eventually more and more companies/jobs will come out here. There are already quite a few in the Ontario/Rancho/Corona/Chino area... but I would like to see a lot more professional services/tech firms to come up here. I can't imagine how much it costs to startup/run a business in Irvine/OC ... probably quite substantially more.

My neighbors commute and work all over the place. Some in Brea, Tustin, Anaheim, Irvine, Ontario, Rancho, Mira Loma, San Bernardino, Riverside and yes... quite a few work in Chino too. Teachers, nurses, law enforcement, logistic services, software developers, electricians, entrepreneurs, etc... and a good mix of races and ethnicities. In my community there are mostly young families starting out (late 20s-30s) ... in the larger home communities there are probably more older families and empty nesters.

Now lets talk about the cow poo. When I went out to Northern Corona, I smelled the poo. No doubt about it. and I new I couldnt live there. It was too smelly for me...and too far out of the way. But...when I went to the Preserve last weekend...even with the gust of winds...it was not bad. It smelled different there...but it wasnt bad. In time, I prolly wont even notice it. Visitors will smell it when they come out from Orange County...but it is to be expected in an ag town. Honestly, Im more worried about the flies.

There are quite a few dairies here.... the closest one to the Shady Lane homes is just North of that community. The closest one to the South is the one that leans against the Preserve (Citrus Commons/Tetherwinds). East there's a little bit of room, and West there's a little bit of room. The wind usually blows East to West, or West to East depending on the time of day. Yes, there are days when it's moist out... and it Really smells bad. But in the most part... it's not that bad. I'd say 10-15% chance of having a really bad smell day... or I guess the amount of high precipitation rainy/moist days that occur in the year. Mind you, I've only lived here for almost a year.

The flies are going to be annoying. You'll have to come up with some measures to deal with them including, fly swatters, electric zappers, and fly tape. When we first moved in, a lot of them came into the house. After putting out some fly tape, and swatting them... we pretty much eliminated the problem in the house. Overall though, it'll be hot days that'll probably attract more flies. We had a neighborhood block party a couple months ago... and we had food and stuff outside. In the most part the flies didn't bug us too much. From what my neighbors said, flies were a lot worse last year.... not sure why... (dairies cleaning up the poop more??).

as for the prisons, we lived in santa clarita a couple years back, where there is a max security prison. i never felt threatened by having the prison there...in fact, i liked it because the town was filled with law enforecement officers making their home there. i liked that alot.

Yea, I actually like having them around here too.

im wondering about resale value. my husband has heard some rumblings about them possibly tearing down the deteriorating prison...nothing more.

Yea I heard a little bit of that... but I wouldn't count on it anytime soon. Prisons actually bring in revenue for the City in poor economic times. What I have heard is that the City is trying to sell land from the Prisons to developers to fund renovations and to move the Prison more "centered" (so far the State doesn't like the plan - Cal Poly Ag Dept Currently uses the excess land and grows veggies, etc.. I've also heard that CIM is on a list of potential sites to build a Mental Prison Ward... but that is still up for grabs (the City is petitioning to get Chino off that list).

lastly, ive been researching foreclosures in the preserve and ive come across a few. we're thinking that it may be wise for us to just buy one of those for $50-$60K less than it would cost us to buy a brand new home. what do you guys think?

alright, i think that is all. thanks! look forward to your feedback.

Hey, a lot of people are looking at foreclosures or bargain buys. I think Sol Cal Bottom Rider is in that boat. I don't think it'd be a bad idea... since pre-owned homes would have the yard/blinds done. You just have to be careful about the shape of the homes and make sure to get a very thorough home inspection. It'll put you guys on an even better financial footing.

New homes also has it's perks though too... a year or so of maintenance (warranty maintenance)... your customizations... choice of location... closing costs probably paid off... maybe extra points paid down on rate, etc.... so you'd have to weigh the pros and cons.

Hope this helps From the sounds of it... I think you guys would probably fit in pretty good here.
-chuck22b

[chuck22b]

Well, I did some more research on the dairies to justify that I'm not "imagining" that the smell is not as bad as it used to be, and the notion that the fly problem has been getting better than last year by my neighbors.

Apparently, people living in the Chino Basin and Western IE should have a lot to thank the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA). Over the last six years they have invested heavily in cleaning up the air, land, and water in the region and invested heavily in renewable/self-sustaining ways to do it.

Over the years they have increasingly improved the efficiency and quantity of processing organic waste and increasingly improved the production of biofuels and energy.

http://www.jgpress.com/westcoast/monday/m20_davis.pdf

As a result:
- Peak energy rates are reduced
- The Chino Basin water shed (one of the largest supply of ground water in the State) is being cleaned
- Tons of organic waste is being used
- Air quality has been improved

It's a pretty awesome group of facilities. From cow poop, they produce biofuels, energy, clean water, and organic composte for fertilizers for the farms.


IEUA-Inland Empire Regional Composting Facility (broken link)

So, in short... it's not my imagination... it's the hard work from pro-active, forward thinking agencies like the IEUA.

-chuck22b

[SoCal Bottom Rider]

Leave it to Chuck to spin cow caca into clean air for the masses :-)

[chuck22b]

Originally Posted by SoCal Bottom Rider

Leave it to Chuck to spin cow caca into clean air for the masses :-)

AND clean water too... and lower electricity rates ....

Not really spinning it... if the facilities didn't exist... things would really be different. Actually a lot of other States came to Chino to learn about what we've done here... it's pretty neat being on the forefront of the clean energy future. Many States now have that technology and are applying it to their dairies and other bio waste ventures.

It'll be kinda weird if in the future... *blush*... I can power my own house... from the toilet :P (Back to the Future II anyone?)

-chuck22b