Thompson River Ranch Community- Loveland/Johnstown (Greeley, Windsor: new house, neighborhood, buying)

[ColoradoBlueSkies]

I am very close to building a home in this community and have been desperately searching for more information on the neighborhood itself and also the current builder which is Oakwood Homes. Does anyone live there or know anything about the community?? I used to live in Loveland so I'm very familiar with the area itself, but I haven't been able to find any feedback on the TRR yet.... Thank you!

[Mike Weber]

I have a cousin who lives in the subdivision and seems to like it, now that the house is complete. She was frustrated during the build process partially because it was not meeting her time schedule. Apparently on her block, the homes are close enough that they had to be built in order moving down the street, and she chose a property several lots down from the most recent build. Therefore, it took longer to sell the lots in between and subsequently took longer to get her home done. She looked at other (resale and new) homes a few times during the process and nearly terminated the contract on two occasions.

[hrm970]

My wife and I have also looked at this subdivision, but the thing that keeps us away is the Elementary school (Winona). It's scores aren't impressive, and it is so close to that water treatment facility. When we drove by the school it really stunk! I've also noticed strong odor driving by TRR on I-25 and have to assume it is also due to that water treatment place.

Can anyone who lives there shed any light? Thanks!

[remarkco]

My wife and I have put money down on a lot atThompson River Ranch and when we stopped by last week with relatives at our lot we definitely noticed a pretty strong cow manure odor. The salesman said it happens occasionally from Greeley. Can anyone verify how bad it gets?

[StealthRabbit]

Hello Colorado, There are still a few cows (very few and declining, excluding the 2 legged versions that are moo-ving IN )

I doubt you are smelling Greeley

Buying a lot in a subdivision with a silo might be a clue...My friends used to farm there, wait till you start DIGGING!.

There are still a few active farms quite nearby (Like across I-25 at 402 exit).

Gonna have to learn to enjoy it. (never worked for me while in Dairy Farm Boarding School.. ALWAYS smelled like 'cow' after getting up at 4:30AM 7 days / week and GLADLY rushing off to school @ 7:30am)

[MtnJam]

Agreed! You're in AgLand. Get used to it, or pay more and live in the urban corridor.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by MtnJam

Agreed! You're in AgLand. Get used to it, or pay more and live in the urban corridor.

Or get OUT of ag (producer) land and go west of Loveland. I only smelled my own cows growing up near Masonville and Big Thompson School. Marianna Butte and Namaqua hill are quite close in with views, QUIET and no smells. (And excellent schools for good resale)

There are some EXCELLENT view properties WEST and now NO SMELL... prevailing wind comes from NW of Ft Collins (Red Feather / Walden) and you will NEVER have smells from east of Loveland.

Wait till they get an alfalfa pellet plant cooking nearby *there was one near Berthoud. Your summers will smell like cooking hay, and spring and fall like a wet Feedlot...

Doesn't the freeway noise kill the ambiance of the spendy homes ay "the Ranch' .. I mean THE FARM...(= Smells)?

I drove those two hills daily in a semi, I sure wouldn't have wanted to HEAR trucks gearing up and down all day and night when I was at HOME... All I have heard sleeping with windows open for 50 yrs were Coyotes and birds and an occasional cow, peacock, or burro. Why would anyone want to live next to a freeway on a HILL! I CAMPED in such a spot ONCE in 1979... Never again. I have built several homes in various areas, it is REALLY too much work and expense to NOT have an ideal spot... (uninterrupted view is a MUST for me) YMMV

After living on a ridge with a VIEW, I would never again live in a 'draw', Check out Carter Lake. There are some fantastic view homes there, and you can get to DEN via Berthoud.

[Lennny]

StealthRabbit summed it up well. Weld County is very close to TRR and its a "Right-to-farm" county. Any complaints on smells or crop duster, feedlots, etc. to the County will only be returned with a "get over it or move" reply. You should bare in mind that it is within the flood plain of the Thompson River. Even though it only floods every 25 years or so, there were many residents of TRR that couldn't go home for days after the flood because the subdivison bridge nearly washed out. Aditionally, hope your not a Fracktivist, because there will be quite a few oil & gas wells that will be developed and producing for years to come in that area. Finally, what is the future of TRR? I.E. your home resale value? The geography of the area indicates it will be an isolated subdivison for years to come. The Centerra development will stay commercial business oriented for some time and your proximity to Johnstown to the South and Windsor to the North will be a stronger draw for any new housing developments in that area. Who knows what the post housing bubble has in store for our futures, but you should be aware that TRR was concieved a began construction during those years of housing extravagance. Something to consider, as the region grows and air quality begins to become a bigger concern, the smog will be denser in the lower river bottoms.

[ECTransplant]

We moved to TRR last summer in the newest part of the subdivision. Our plot backs onto significant farmland acreage, with a backyard view of the mountains to the right. The view is pastoral and gorgeous, but it definitely comes with the downside of the odor. Interestingly, the smell seems worse in the winter and at night, but it definitely seems "poopy"/"manurey" - some nights it's truly dreadful, others it's not so bad. I'm assuming that has something to do with the wind, but never having lived this close to farmland, your guess is as good as mine. It is a different odor than the smell that you experience when you drive out near the waste treatment facility - definitely more of an animal stink.

We were one of the first homeowners in this new section and, as a result, the construction was super speedy. I was expecting delays since it seems like all new builds are delayed in some way, but they were done right on time. Warranty issues have been a bit slow, but I think we have been lucky overall.

In general, I'm really happy with my new house. It's a great architectural plan (ranch with flex space) that really works for the way we live. The neighborhood is pretty and the people seem nice so far.

My only two complaints are that:

1) the design center only allows two three-hour visits to make a LOT of selections. The options were decent, though (outrageously priced, of course, but I suspect that's par for the course).

2) the cable/internet options are abysmal. Baja Broadband sucks and they pretty much have the monopoly here. Don't bother with their HD cable service (it was the worst quality, service and options I've ever experienced. We cancelled within a week) - just go straight to DirecTV. Feel free to PM me if you want a referral that gives you $10 off your bill each month. High speed internet through Baja is okay at best. Pretty slow for the money they are charging, particularly if you have significant upload needs. Every other place we've lived in Colorado had Comcast, which was pretty reliable for us throughout the years.

[sidburn]

Originally Posted by hrm970

My wife and I have also looked at this subdivision, but the thing that keeps us away is the Elementary school (Winona). It's scores aren't impressive, and it is so close to that water treatment facility. When we drove by the school it really stunk! I've also noticed strong odor driving by TRR on I-25 and have to assume it is also due to that water treatment place.

Can anyone who lives there shed any light? Thanks!

Winona is one of the worst schools in Thompson School District.

TRR is an attractive neighborhood, but there's one major drawback: the walkability scale is pretty much 0. Also, since the homes are very cookie cutter and only have 4 different designs, they may not be the most well-built.