Mesa del Sol visit
Mar. 31st, 2012 12:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
billeylerFor years, Mesa del Sol has been touted as the next big new community in Albuquerque. It's only 11 minutes to the south, just south of the airport. Danny's been wanting to see what the homes are like there, as a possible move-to destination. So this morning, there's a 'big grand opening' of a few model homes in Phase I.
Remember, we live in a desert. If you look in the median, you'll see one of the two ENORMOUS rattlesnake art pieces that was commissioned on this new University Blvd extension a few years back.
The area with a few model homes. Pulte, Rachel Matthew and Ray-Lee have the only models so far. Apparently, over 40 years the community expects to have up to 37,000 homes here! It's nice that the garages are all in the back of the houses, there is going to be a lot of communal garden spaces, bike paths, walking paths. It just feels a bit early days right now.
Leading into the area, there are solar manufacturing companies, multiple sound stages for the (nearly bankrupt) Albuquerque Studios, and this building, where the university film studios are now located. It's sort a central business park area, or the beginnings of one, just across from the model homes. There are dozens of little tents set up for the 1000s of people they expect today, but it was pretty sparce since we went at 10am. The weather is GORGEOUS though, with a high in the low 80s expected today. Palm Springs weather again!
Another view of the few model homes there. I hope this community DOES happen, but the way we see it, the touted views will be non-existant in a few years after all the new 2 story construction is finished. But it was a nice, short drive and a good thing to see.
Remember, we live in a desert. If you look in the median, you'll see one of the two ENORMOUS rattlesnake art pieces that was commissioned on this new University Blvd extension a few years back.
The area with a few model homes. Pulte, Rachel Matthew and Ray-Lee have the only models so far. Apparently, over 40 years the community expects to have up to 37,000 homes here! It's nice that the garages are all in the back of the houses, there is going to be a lot of communal garden spaces, bike paths, walking paths. It just feels a bit early days right now.
Leading into the area, there are solar manufacturing companies, multiple sound stages for the (nearly bankrupt) Albuquerque Studios, and this building, where the university film studios are now located. It's sort a central business park area, or the beginnings of one, just across from the model homes. There are dozens of little tents set up for the 1000s of people they expect today, but it was pretty sparce since we went at 10am. The weather is GORGEOUS though, with a high in the low 80s expected today. Palm Springs weather again!
Another view of the few model homes there. I hope this community DOES happen, but the way we see it, the touted views will be non-existant in a few years after all the new 2 story construction is finished. But it was a nice, short drive and a good thing to see.
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Date: 2012-03-31 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-31 10:24 pm (UTC)But by new development, I mean REALLY new: these six or seven houses were all built in the past month. We had driven out there a year ago and it was wide open spaces.
Irony: driving back and forth, we heard ads of a live remote for new development, but that was for the far west side of town, about 30 minutes from us. Pulte Homes at both Mesa del Sol and the Unser/Paseo del Volcan developments were giving away a prize in a drawing: two tickets to "Mary Poppins" at Popejoy Hall in June!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-01 12:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-01 07:36 pm (UTC)I agree, it is nice having the garages facing the back, instead of the front.
There are two developments in the Portland area which have gained much attention, especially Orenco Station (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orenco_Station and http://www.terrain.org/unsprawl/10/) as it was fairly early in the mass neighborhood planned development efforts. (1990s) The other, more recent such planned subdivision, also to win planning awards, is Villebois, south of the Portland metro area in the town of Wilsonville. Villebois is nice in that it has the full mixture of large, detached homes, small detached homes, row houses, condos, lofts, apartments, duplexes, etc.... They also tried to make it more walking friendly as well as interspersed with parks of various sizes and driving circles. They also try to have commerce. They are all nice, but are definitely out there, as far as access to downtown. But then again, you can only develop on such a large scale where you have available land -- which can only be on the outskirts.
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Date: 2012-04-01 09:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-01 07:38 pm (UTC)