Discovery Bay's gated(??) communities (Marina, Brentwood: section 8, real estate, foreclosures)

[unomundo]

My family and I relocated from New Jersey to the Peninsula 18 months ago. We love CA and are staying but the honeymoon of the peninsula is over. It's beautiful with lots to do, but we can't afford to do any of them! On a whim, we looked at the model homes in Discovery Bay and were floored by how much house you get versus where we are now. Realistically, we can do just fine being 60 miles from SF and making it a true day trip or weekend when we want to visit. But why does a community need to be gated in DB (or anywhere for that matter)? Is it for some false prestige or is there something sinister lurking about that I'm not aware of? From what I've seen, DB and Brentwood seem like nice, safe affordable areas (though I hope more diverse than some posts make them out to be). What is the elephant in the room that I'm not seeing that makes gates so alluring? Also, are the schools good? And do people see this area as becoming less rural over time? Thanks everyone!

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by unomundo

My family and I relocated from New Jersey to the Peninsula 18 months ago. We love CA and are staying but the honeymoon of the peninsula is over. It's beautiful with lots to do, but we can't afford to do any of them! On a whim, we looked at the model homes in Discovery Bay and were floored by how much house you get versus where we are now. Realistically, we can do just fine being 60 miles from SF and making it a true day trip or weekend when we want to visit. But why does a community need to be gated in DB (or anywhere for that matter)? Is it for some false prestige or is there something sinister lurking about that I'm not aware of? From what I've seen, DB and Brentwood seem like nice, safe affordable areas (though I hope more diverse than some posts make them out to be). What is the elephant in the room that I'm not seeing that makes gates so alluring? Also, are the schools good? And do people see this area as becoming less rural over time? Thanks everyone!

In my opinion, gated communities are just a way to make that place stand out from another place. Most of them aren't true gated communities, with a guard preventing people from coming in, and even those aren't secure...

And yes -- the place will be less remote as the building continues. Right now, real estate is bad, so the building has cut way back.. but sooner or later the worm will turn and the building will continue. In the grand sceme of things this is but a bump in the road.

[maybebaby]

In some ways Tallysmom hit it exactly. I have lived in Discovery Bay for quite a while. It used to be that there were only Deep Water homes, Lake homes, and Golf Course homes. When the new development started in Discovery Bay West (thats where the new models are--in Discovery Bay West--not in original Discovery Bay) they needed something to distinguish themselves from the huge numbers of new housing developments in Brentwood and make them something special for Discovery Bay.

In my opinion, there is not a crime problem in Discovery Bay. You can see crime maps on the contra costa sheriffs web site. If you dont like the gated communities you should look at some of the houses in Discovery Bay that are on the water. The view is much better than the crowded new developments where you are staring at your neighbor, and your family can boat or swim all summer.

Housing prices have definitely dropped and you can get a lot of house for the money right now--especially if you are interested in Discovery Bay West. There seem to be a good number of foreclosures.

[LucindaStreets]

I have a house in the gated golf course section and am grateful for the added security. It does keep the riffraff out. They frequently patrol the area and the other residents are good about watching over your property. Except for the inner parts of Lido and Marina Circles, the original waterfront Discovery Bay (big money) and golf course is quite nice and generally free of low riders, rap music and section 8. The golf course has a lot of tradesmen and families. Not big money but people who want the best and safest environment for their kids.

"Outer" D.B. off Highway 4 is beginning to look low rent, although The Lakes, up Bixler Rd where new big houses still cost a minimum of $350K for an REO, looks quite nice.

I have high hopes that most of Discovery Bay will emerge from this foreclosure situation in good shape for the long term.