Tucson Estates, Desert Pueblo, Swan Lake (Sedona, Avra Valley: RV park, rent, HOA fees)

[Tulippsy]

Anyone familiar with the over-55 mobile home communities Tucson Estates, Desert Pueblo or Swan Lake? I’m wondering about the neighborhoods - proximity to grocery stores, restaurants, etc., or any other info you might have. We are looking for a little place to come during the winter to escape the PNW gloom. Thanks!

[WilmaWildcat]

Some upcoming events may effect your decision. Not sure by your post of the extent of your intended investment or timing.

https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-new...-11-opposition

...Most of Avra Valley is a quiet, natural desert area. But the Arizona Department of Transportation is considering running a new interstate -- I-11 -- through Avra Valley in an effort to move more traffic, especially commercial truck traffic. (Continued)

Four days ago: https://tucson.com/news/local/govt-a...593d13426.html

Older article with more detail: https://arizonadailyindependent.com/...pros-and-cons/

Found and marked up this map that illustrates how Tucson Estates will look in their plans:

[tijlover]

When I was looking at mobile home communities, I deemed Tucson Estates to be too far out in the sticks. And for a convenience junkie, not enough conveniences and no bus service, leaving you almost entirely car dependent. A great community, nonetheless!

This convenience junkie opted for a 55+ mobile home co-op near Swan/Grant, Central Tucson, and e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g you'd ever want is within a mile of here.

[Tulippsy]

Thank you, both. Wilmacat, I think we’ll be dead by the time something like that would get approval and built. Tijlover, I tend to agree with you about Tucson Estates being too far out. The only reason it was of interest is you own the land under your house with very low HOA fees. These three have the lowest space rent. We will only be part time residents and aren’t fabulously well-to-do, so that is important to us.

Thanks again for the input.

[tijlover]

When I first looked at Tucson Estates in 2007, my RE agent told me that at least 50% of the owners in this 1600 lot park were snow birds, so I wasn't surprised that, since 1962, there's no grocery store nearby. How can a business enterprise survive when their customers desert them for 4-5-6 months of the year. My agent told me there was plans to put a Wal-Mart on McKinney road, not a great distance away, but when I went out there last year, where was it? With more surrounding development it may come yet.

By the way I'm at Far Horizons mobile home Co-op and there's only one other mobile home co-op in Tucson at Commanche Wells near Rogers/Oracle. At these co-op's you need Board approval to live there, but that's no big deal at all. It's not like going before the Board of a co-op in the Upper East side of Manhattan. There, even with millions in the bank, you could be rejected for not answering with the correct answer. One millionaire couple was rejected because they answered a question the Board didn't like. What do you like to do on weekends? Oh, we like to go to Atlantic City to gamble! And? Rejected!

[recycled]

My Mother & Stepfather lived in Tucson Estates in the 90s and early 2000s. I visited them many, many times so know TE well. TE is great if you like going on beautiful hiking trails every morning (or how ever often you like) that begin just minutes from your front door. No need to drive to get to pristine outdoor trails. The surrounding mountains and vegetation are stunning, Sedona-like red rock without the Sedona crowds and price tag. It is also beautiful to walk at night. There are no street lights and the star gazing is wonderful with the very dark sky.

The other great thing about Tucson Estates is silence. Do you like to sleep with the windows wide open at night, and not hear the roar and noise of city streets, sirens, police helicopters, etc? If this is a big deal to you, Tucson Estates is ideal. The residents of TE mostly turn in early and don't blast loud speakers with music, so you won't be bothered with noise even though your neighbors are just a few feet away.

Because TE is not convenient to anything except the few things listed above, yes, a car will be needed to drive 10-15 minutes each way to reach a big grocery store or other big box shopping. Most of what you need can be found in southwest Tucson around Valencia Rd & I-19. There is a Frys grocery store on Ajo Rd at I-19. It is an easy drive, just a few traffic signals along Ajo Rd between Kinney Rd & I-19. There are some medical offices around St Mary's Hospital on the west side of Tucson, but not as many as in east-central Tucson around Tucson Medical Center.

[dirtydan57]

We stay in an RV park near Mission and Ajo Way in the winter and are familiar with Tucson Estates and Desert Pueblo and I'll try to give you my impression of both. I believe I've been through Swan Lake but can't honestly say I'm familiar with it.

Desert Pueblo: Let's start by saying some in Tucson consider this not the best part of town. My take that we really like it here and haven't had any problems. DP is a gated community where you rent the lot. So units tend to be less expensive then TE but if I recall correctly, lot rent was somewhere in the high $400/month range. It is very conveniently located near I-19 so access to most parts of town is pretty easy with the exception of traveling to far east parts of Tucson. Shopping is near by with many grocery stores, restaurants, Spectrum Mall, Walmart, etc. It's within a few blocks or a couple miles. The park seems well managed and maintained. They promote group activity for seniors so there is stuff to do. The Loop, a walking/biking trail along the Santa Cruz is just outside the park entrance and is a very nice feature if you are active. The biggest problem I see exiting the park - Ajo Way is a very busy road and the intersection doesn't have a traffic light. Turning right might not be hard, but a left turn could be tough. When we left for the summer in May, Ajo was undergoing major construction on that specific stretch of Ajo.

Tucson Estates: Another retirement community, they also have plenty of activities to help meet people and occupy your time. There is a mix of newer, older and ancient rigs in this park but here you own the lot. Lot ownership pushes up pricing, but the monthly expenses are significantly lower. I believe between taxes and HOA you're probably around $150/month. There isn't currently a lot of shopping out there. But when we left this spring, there was significant development happening and I don't know what's going in. A few restaurants are out there but plan on a little travel for many things. We eat out a lot and the worst thing for us would be driving to town. It's really not that bad of a drive, but it might be a thing for some. Personally I think living on the far east part of Tucson is the most inconvenient, but that's me.

If you don't mind driving, look at Copper Crest. It's located on Bopp Rd somewhat near TE. You also own the lot but it's a very nice community. Another thought is the area near DP is Rincon Country West. That is a 55+ RV park. One can buy park models and rent the lot. It's a gated community with many clubs and activities.

I hope some of this helps your decision. Personally, we love where we stay in Tucson. We've been living in our RV full time for 2 years and have spent both winters in Rincon. We like it so much, we bought a park model last winter. Weather in WI has been miserable so we can't wait to get back there. Hurry August!!

[Tulippsy]

Thanks for the excellent info, recycled and dirtydan57. I'm really looking forward to our scouting trip in November!