Snoqualmie Ridge...What's You Opinion? May possibly move and make it home.

[Seattle CPA]

FYI Snoqualmie Ridge was primarily developed by Quadrant owned by Weyerhaeuser, however, they do not supply lumber to the builder. Quadrant makes money by putting the most houses possible on a developed area. Then, they put more houses on any room that is left and build smaller houses and sell them cheaply under the designation of low-income housing for a major tax break. So really, they build decent zero lot-line homes, but who wants to live in a cook cutter molded home?

[rmerikle]

Ouch, where did this last post come from? I mean really now…have you even been to the Ridge before? Right off the bat it should be noted that 40% of the ridge is set aside as open space. This means small parks, medium sized parks and larger parks. There are trails, there is the golf course, there are the beautiful views of Mt. Si and the surrounding hills. This is why I choose the Ridge over other areas. Recently in the news you are reading about a bunch of park closures, but not here at the Ridge. Yes I do pay for all these amenities, but when you balance it out with how far your house dollar goes I am more then continent with the value I am getting.

And do you even understand what a zero lot-line home is? At least the way I like to explain a zero lot line home is a condo with out a HOA so that you save on HOA dues, but in the long run you have a bunch of houses that have gone in all different directions and usually lose the sense of community that a HOA or ROA provides. I have no qualms with zero lot-line homes, I just really feel you are spreading lies when you compare the Ridge to zero-lot line homes. I encourage you to do a google search on “Snoqualmie Ridge ROA” and look through some of the documents that are posted there. You will see a map of the master plan that ensures a good quality of community not only today, but for many many years to come. Yes a ROA or HOA comes with lots of rules and regulations, but I personally like it that way. It ensures not only does my neighbor act in a responsible way, but it also forces me to not get lazy and forces me to act in a responsible way.

Quadrant along with all the other builders out on the ridge have done an amazing job of making the most efficient use of space. I was just at a friend’s house in Mill Creek and his house sits on a half acre lot, but yet you go out to his back porch and you can look directly into the back of four different homes. There is no privacy. For the most part on the Ridge yes your neighbors are close, but in most cases you do not look right into your neighbor’s window. This is because it has been planned this way, hence the planned community aspect. Again take a look at the map and you will see how many homes back up to open space and the golf course. And I won’t even get into the advantages of having planned streets so that traffic flows smoothly and you don’t get the cluster of streets that seem so prevalent in so many communities on the East Side.

Yes if you wish to live on a compound where you never see your neighbors and live in a unique house with unique challenges then by all means Snoqualmie Ridge is not the answer for you. I personally like the fact that I live in a community where I get to interact with my neighbors and community in general. I like the fact that I got a lot of value for my house dollar. I like going to the neighborhood park and running into my neighbors and doing the general chit chat thing. I like having a sense of community. I encourage you to go up to the Ridge on a bright summer day and see how many kids are out playing and enjoying the many parks throughout the community.

And I won’t even get into the debate on Quadrant homes. Like all things there are good parts and bad parts. Do your research and see if their style fits, but also please remember that there are many homes made by others then Quadrant on the Ridge. Murray Franklyn is one of the premier builders and has built many homes out on the Ridge.

Again after you visit Snoqualmie Ridge and do your research I am sure you will see how the previous post is not only incorrect, but down right dishonest.

[kaps1121]

We moved to Snoqualmie Ridge from out of state 4 years ago and we have loved it here. The sense of community and openess we experienced as newcomers was overwhelming. There are families from the area (eastside, Wa state) and from all over the country. My kids made friends quickly as did we as adults. There are more and more businesses and restaurants opening in the retail area and you can't find better views of the Cascades than up here. CVES Elementary is great school with devoted teachers and involved PTSA. Is our community perfect, no, but we hate to leave here as we have found out we are moving.

Quadrant is one of the builders but not the only or even the main builder~ Murray Franklin, Burnstead, CamWest, Buchan, not to mention custom homes as well.

I 90 is very convenient to the eastside and downtown. It would be hard to get off the Plateau any faster.

The weather can be a bit colder ,windier and cloudier, but if you live in Western WA that's pretty much a given!

You can't put a price on living somewhere that is safe, friendly, community oriented, and close enough to things but far enough away too. For families I don't see how you could go wrong.

[dxenopoulos]

I am not a big fan of the Ridge. Honestly, the commute isn't much worse than it would be if you lived in many other suburbs to the North or South. It's probably a better idea commute-wise for people who work on the Eastside.

Although it's really pretty and has that "small town" feel, like others have said, it is pretty new, it lacks the historical culture that other small towns around here seem to have, like North Bend. For me, I like having more options than the few stores and gas stations they have. The area seems pretty safe though, I imagine it's a lot of older folks, but I would definitely say it has more of a suburban feel to it (like Issaquah) than a small-town feel.