What the heck is a Greenbelt?

[mortimer]

AngelfaceAZ countered:

> Notice I said it is typically a big selling point. ...

I did notice, true enough. I was just sharing my experience.

I thought it was extremely ironic that what we were totally ignoring via the price, someone else didn't like. It also sucked since they ate up about seven days of time.

> Homes on Greenbelts .... list price about $10k above ....

That was what we paid in 2000 for a new build.

> Houses on lakes usually will go for $20k above ...

Ya see there, I would pay to *not* live on a friggin' "lake."
(See my earlier comments on dogs on the greenbelt and add the amplification factor that comes from the 'bark' bouncing off the water.)

It's just like you said. It depends on what the buyers are looking for.

[backtochitown]

Originally Posted by mortimer

backtochitown claimed:

> > There is no correlation between the size of the lot and the amount
> > of drainage space.

> You are not understanding what I am saying...developers are required,
> and for good reason, to provide for drainage, ...

I understand perfectly. There is a certain set-aside area for Greenbelts.

After that, the builder can choose to build 1 lot or 500 lots. It all depends on the price point of the houses going in. It's not like they go in and say "I want to buld 235 houses here. Oh darn! I have to take 13.457% of this raw land and make it into a Greenbelt. Therefore, I will have to reduce the size of the lots by 13.457% each."

First off I didn't claim the sentence I have bolded above...somebody else did.

And for your comments I think you would be surprised that you are right on with the logic in your last paragraph in a lot of developments.

[wit-nit]

Originally Posted by aj661

Greenbelt? It's a winter phenomenon in the valley which is often seen at buffets, medical laboratories and WalMart pharmacies. The name comes from the herds of Snowbirds lined up at these places and is derived from the male of the species which, although their belts are actually white, often wear bright lime green polyester slacks, which from a distance, can give the illusion of a "green belt".

Seriously.

aj 661...That has more truth to it than not, especially 30+ years ago.
Years ago, when the Metro area was a small populous, we were told the green belt in AZ was when the winter visitors/tourists came to shop using their money out of their 'moneybelts'.

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by backtochitown

Believe me you will grow to miss and WORSHIP rain in Phoenix...the dust is horrendous...your car and furniture gets covered with it within hours after cleaning.

Phoenix is a nice place to live for a couple years then the 'novelty' of heat and endless sun wear off and you leave...like a good amount of people do all the time...it is the most transient city I have ever known...get used to your neighbors (if they even talk to you) changing over every couple years too if you last that long.

Oh yeah, as much as people try to convert it to a mid West or Eastern community Phoenix is a HOT DESERT headed for MAJOR water problems within a few years.

We need people like you that are honest and say it like it is. Several years ago, when I was researching this city, while vacationing there, I was told by residents that two people out of five, move out of this city, after one year. That made me change my mind. However, I thought that Florida, in general, was more transient than Phoenix.

[nkotb]

Originally Posted by aj661

Greenbelt? It's a winter phenomenon in the valley which is often seen at buffets, medical laboratories and WalMart pharmacies. The name comes from the herds of Snowbirds lined up at these places and is derived from the male of the species which, although their belts are actually white, often wear bright lime green polyester slacks, which from a distance, can give the illusion of a "green belt".

Seriously.

Gee and I was going to winter in AZ instead of FL to get away from that phenomenon And, in FL I was getting tired of being referred to as a
Q-TIP

[Howard Roark]

I lived in south Scottsdale from August 2000 to June 2004. The greenbelt is parallel to Hayden and stretches from near 92nd and Pima (I think) to Tempe Towne Lake.

I had a mountainbike with digital lamp and would ride the belt every other morning winter and summer around 5:00 in the morning.

Highlights: Sometimes in the monsoon during a heavy rain the ponds overflow. There is one part near Roosevelt that would have 6 inches of water you gotta pedal in during/after a storm sometimes. Further south near Tempe Towne Lake I got intercepted by a junkyard dog. I guess I surprised the dog so much that he did not bark - just chased! Wintertime: Can be very cold! You Virginians will laugh. But yes you sometimes have to wear gloves and a windbreaker, as temps can get to 30 degrees. Ever ride a bike in 30 degree conditions?

You can make a 40 mile round trip on the Scottsdale to Tempe greenbelt all the way to Priest along Tempe Towne Lake.

And yes, sometimes on 112 degree days I would ride the belt. Just gotta take a cold water bottle.

On alternate days I would swim so that I would condition other muscle groups.

Since I'm currently working in LA I don't cycle as much, but I swim a lot.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Howard Roark

I lived in south Scottsdale from August 2000 to June 2004. The greenbelt is parallel to Hayden and stretches from near 92nd and Pima (I think) to Tempe Towne Lake.

I had a mountainbike with digital lamp and would ride the belt every other morning winter and summer around 5:00 in the morning.

Highlights: Sometimes in the monsoon during a heavy rain the ponds overflow. There is one part near Roosevelt that would have 6 inches of water you gotta pedal in during/after a storm sometimes. Further south near Tempe Towne Lake I got intercepted by a junkyard dog. I guess I surprised the dog so much that he did not bark - just chased! Wintertime: Can be very cold! You Virginians will laugh. But yes you sometimes have to wear gloves and a windbreaker, as temps can get to 30 degrees. Ever ride a bike in 30 degree conditions?

You can make a 40 mile round trip on the Scottsdale to Tempe greenbelt all the way to Priest along Tempe Towne Lake.

And yes, sometimes on 112 degree days I would ride the belt. Just gotta take a cold water bottle.

On alternate days I would swim so that I would condition other muscle groups.

Since I'm currently working in LA I don't cycle as much, but I swim a lot.

I live one mile W of the Scottsdale Greenbelt and I lived in NoVa (outside of Wash DC) 30 years ago so you are spot on that our winters are nothing and our summers are not that much worse. The DC area is extremely humid

[zenkonami]

The soil in Phoenix is dense (mostly some kind of clay, I believe.) When it rains, though rare, it comes down in buckets...fast and heavy. The ground just can't absorb it with any speed, so green belts are usually designed with drainage in mind but covered up with parks to make them more pleasing to the eye and allow for recreation during the majority of the year when that drainage is unnecessary. I think it also makes them better for absorbing some of the water, and has the benefit of providing a small cooling effect on parts of the valley.

Have to agree though that the main purpose is either drainage or desert preservation for the majority of greenbelts. I'm sure someone with more expertise in geology, climate, environment and urban planning can go into a lot more accurate detail I have.

[Great Joy]

To all considering moving to Phoenix:

Having lived in quite a few different states in homes with different lot sizes, I can tell you that if you are used to a large yard and not being close to your neighbors' homes, you will want a view fence (not block fence all around your lot) with a greenbelt or other type of open space behind your lot or on at least one side of your lot.

[TMTY]

What is a greenbelt?

Well a greenbelt is basically a tool used by town planners to control development and avoid or mitigate urban sprawl. Areas - usually large but sometimes they can be small in size - are designated as Greenbelts around a city or town. The idea is to encourage high density living instead of sprawling developments eating into the surrounding countryside. The only problem in terms of the housing market - is yes the designation of a greenbelt does increase house value however the public forget that greenbelt zones are changed to allow the growth of the city overtime. So dont consider this as something that is fixed, it can be rezoned for development at any time.