Urban Reserve? (McKinney, Highlands, Leonard: home builders, closing, subdivisions)

[sir_balaji]

I am familiar with this houses. What is that nonsense about mosquitos? Did you never know that running water does not harbor mosquitos? This is a river. The venue is perfect. The houses themselves are very fine unlike the poorly designed slab sided houses in places like Frisco. These have style and character. Quality has a price. If you don't like the quality you are free to buy the cookie cutter house of frisco.

[hbdwihdh378y9]

I drove down Vanguard with the kids today. My son isn't really a fan of the modern style, really, but he loved the architecture on the east side of the street. The view from the rear of the homes on the west side of the street is pretty bleak -- so much trash along the concrete creek from frequent flooding. I just realized today that my nextdoor neighbor lived on Vanguard until she had kids.

[Trimmings]

Quite honestly, five years ago Urban Reserve was exciting. Even with the negativity of the Forest/75 stigma and being on the wrong side of 75, it was lush and new and modern. But two things happened since then. The tornado came through and took out most of the lush vegetation that provided screening from the DART tracks and the commercial development on the other side (the Home Depot that took a direct hit from the Tornado is just across the DART tracks). The second thing that happened is the beautiful tract of virgin forest that isolated the north end of Urban Reserve was sold (by the initial owner and developer of UR no less!!) to Darling Homes, who came in, bulldozed every single leaf and blade of grass, and started building truly heinous and homely suburban-type houses right next door to UR, and looming OVER UR. Check out the google street view from a couple years ago and you can see the transformation for yourself. The original developer of UR sold their house and moved away, and almost immediately the formerly impeccable landscaping seems to have taken a nosedive. And what is left? As described above, bleak views and lots of trash.


However, assuming the city takes care of the homeless/zombie camp on the creeks near Forest, and assuming that the nearby neighborhood continues to gentrify, it could actually a fabulous location. Hopefully for the sake of the homeowners that won't take years.

[HP48G]

Originally Posted by Trimmings

The second thing that happened is the beautiful tract of virgin forest that isolated the north end of Urban Reserve was sold (by the initial owner and developer of UR no less!!) to Darling Homes, who came in, bulldozed every single leaf and blade of grass, and started building truly heinous and homely suburban-type houses right next door to UR, and looming OVER UR. Check out the google street view from a couple years ago and you can see the transformation for yourself. The original developer of UR sold their house and moved away, and almost immediately the formerly impeccable landscaping seems to have taken a nosedive. And what is left? As described above, bleak views and lots of trash.
.

Lol. Those “homely” suburban houses are listed at +1.5 million. Considering the local tastes, I bet those houses will sell much faster than the unique bizarre homes in the Urban Reserve.

[Trimmings]

Originally Posted by HP48G

Lol. Those “homely” suburban houses are listed at +1.5 million. Considering the local tastes, I bet those houses will sell much faster than the unique bizarre homes in the Urban Reserve.

You're certainly right about that! Several of them have sold even before completion. But they have the same issues as UR: wrong side of 75, too close to Forest and 75, backing up to less desirable neighborhood. But maybe plonking a Frisco house into the mix is the secret sauce?

[rabbit33]

Originally Posted by sir_balaji

I am familiar with this houses. What is that nonsense about mosquitos? Did you never know that running water does not harbor mosquitos? This is a river. The venue is perfect. The houses themselves are very fine unlike the poorly designed slab sided houses in places like Frisco. These have style and character. Quality has a price. If you don't like the quality you are free to buy the cookie cutter house of frisco.

"River" is kind of an overstatement.

You obviously are not familiar with low-lying slow moving meandering alluvial streams found all over the Great Plains.

Yes, those creeks are running, except when they slow to a trickle and there are swampy areas all round, or when there's a heavy rain that floods all of that river bottom and takes weeks to dry out.

As to the houses, the RE agent has already noted that they're aging poorly. Flat roofs in a climate marked by periodic torrential downpours, incredible solar loads, high winds, and damaging hailstorms, will always be an inferior choice compared to pitched roofs.

The houses are long skinny trailer-like structures separated by no more than a few feet.

The DART commuter rail runs right behind one side of the development (like, you're going to be able to identify the passengers in the train cars from your back yard) and the other side backs up to a rather undesirable neighborhood and is easy walking distance from some quite rough areas. You can expect a high rate of property crime.

Just across the river bottom you're looking at the backs of several large big box type stores and car dealerships, then Central Expressway - with nothing to block either that lovely view or its noise. I hope the people on the west side enjoy the sound of 18-wheelers' backup beepers at 6 am when they come to unload at the dock on the back side of that big Home Despot.

Yes, there are lots of places that have one or more of these issues elsewhere in the city, but I wouldn't be interested in signing up for all of them, not at those prices.

[Leonard123]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

The houses are long skinny trailer-like structures separated by no more than a few feet.

That one applies to virtually ALL new construction across the entire DFW metro area.


I still keep wondering when and how this concept of rectangular lots popped up. My own house is on a lot that's 63 x 68. Why don't builders make lots like that any more?

[Trimmings]

Originally Posted by Leonard123

That one applies to virtually ALL new construction across the entire DFW metro area.


I still keep wondering when and how this concept of rectangular lots popped up. My own house is on a lot that's 63 x 68. Why don't builders make lots like that any more?

And the triangular lot leads to a triangular house. And that in turn leads to some really weird rooms with unusable space.

[Leonard123]

Originally Posted by Trimmings

And the triangular lot leads to a triangular house. And that in turn leads to some really weird rooms with unusable space.

They might as well be building triangles.

Houses should be more square shaped. The rectangles you see today lead to weird rooms and less usable space, and that's precisely what's wrong with them.

I'm not quite sure when or why that changed.

[ThomasCrown]

Originally Posted by Leonard123

I still keep wondering when and how this concept of rectangular lots popped up. My own house is on a lot that's 63 x 68. Why don't builders make lots like that any more?

Are you sure about that? That seems like an extremely small lot for Stonebridge Ranch. That's .1 of an acre.


I'd argue builders are moving to that... lots in subdivisions used to be .25 acre around here in the 60's through the 80's. They're getting smaller and smaller now, but .1 still seems very small unless you live in a zero lot line house.