Open House Review: 11 Savannah

11 Savannah is a single level, zero-lot-line property with many upgrades and a nice sized L-shaped backyard. I was surprised by the asking price, especially since sales for two other single story homes in the area, which are actually slightly larger, have sold for approximately $100,000 less earlier this year. It is the first house that I have reviewed asking for $500 /square foot. Let’s find out if all of the upgrades justify the price.

Asking Price:

$849,900

Bedrooms:

4

Bathrooms:

2

Square Footage:

1,700

Lot Size:

5,227 sq ft

Price per Square Foot:

$500

Property Type:

Residential, Single Family

Style:

One Level Cape Cod, Patio Home

Year Built

1978

Community:

Northwood

HOA Fees:

$65

Mello Roos:

No

Days on Market:

11

Update: The listing price has been lowered to $824,900

This home has a very nice open flow in the common living area. It comes with a remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, scraped ceilings, rounded wall corners, newer carpet, clean marble floors and newer paint. Recessed lights, updated doors and a remodeled fireplace add to the wonderful updates in the home. An atrium sits in the middle of the house, which has been converted into a nice jacuzzi area with a wooden deck floor. Single story houses are highly sought after since it is harder to find in Irvine.

Reasons the high price comes as a surprise include the fact that the home has original windows, an original shower in the shared bathroom, sits on a higher traffic street in the neighborhood (it sits on one of the three entrance streets into the entire neighborhood, which consists of at a couple hundred houses), does not have windows along one side of the home which restricts natural light entering a secondary bedroom and master bedroom. In fact, the only windows in those two bedrooms face into the atrium. The family room and secondary bedrooms are small and I do not recall seeing a closet in the small ‘fourth bedroom’, which is currently used as an office. Another downfall is the short driveway space prevents any car to be parked on it.

The front door leads into a rectangular shaped living and small dining room with nice vaulted ceilings. Marble flooring provides a nice pathway towards the back of the house and creates a defined carpeted living/dining area. However, I wonder if the defined carpeted space limits the opportunities to decorate the rooms. The marble floor flows nicely into the kitchen and family rooms. The overall layout of the common areas is terrific.

Upon entering, immediately to the right is the garage entrance. On the perpendicular wall sits a coat closet, entrance to the master bedroom and jutting into the living space is the atrium. The fireplace is located in the living room to the left, along the wall facing the front yard. The three living room windows and the sliding door in the dining area bring in lots of natural light. The atrium brings in some light as well, although it is limited. One of the two entry ways into the atrium is off a sliding door across from the dining area. I wonder if the atrium could be built in as part of the home’s living space, if desired.

The master bedroom is a darker room with only one sliding glass door leading into the atrium. However, it is nice to have access directly to the jacuzzi from the bedroom. Further along the same wall is a narrow, but deceivingly good size walk in closet. An open doorway on the opposite wall leads into the master bath, which consists of dual sinks, with plenty of counter space, and a large oval tub/shower combo. The floors and counters are marble and the cabinets are white. A skylight sits above the tub, which is a nice way to bring in some natural light into the room.

Beyond the atrium and dining room is the remodeled kitchen which opens up to a small family room. The kitchen has plenty of cupboards and drawers for storage. It has a small island with space for a couple of bar stools and a built-in wine cooler. Along the back wall is the gas stovetop. On the perpendicular wall, facing the backyard is a sink with a window above it. On the opposite wall is the refrigerator, oven and built-in microwave. The marble floors continue from the kitchen into the small family room.

The family room has an abundance of natural light coming into the room through two large windows and a sliding glass door. Although it is a smaller room, the high ceilings help make it feel more spacious. It has enough space for seating, a coffee table and television. The one wall which separates the family room from the office has wood paneling which I think dates the room.

When I saw the size of the family room and adjacent office/bedroom, I wondered if the wall was built and the office was added on. I did not notice a closet in the office and it was a small room, especially with the double doors at a 45 degree angle. A small window faces into the backyard.

Further down the hallway are two more secondary bedrooms and a shared bathroom. The bedroom to the left has a window facing the backyard. There are two sets of two-door mirrored sliding closet doors. A note is placed on one of the closet doors stating that it could be removed to create a bigger space in the room. The closets jut out into the room on two perpendicular walls, which wastes space and limits how the room can be furnished. However, if you are looking for a small guest room with plenty of storage then the extra closet could prove to be useful. Currently there is space for a twin bed and small armoire.

Across from the room entrance is a linen closet. It looks like the linen closet was created by possibly taking space from the original office closet.

The last secondary bedroom has one small window facing into the atrium. With the house being a zero-lot-line, there are no windows along one side of the house; therefore the only place for a window is in the atrium. The room is a smaller room with a two-door sliding closet door.

Next to the bedroom is the shared bathroom. It has been updated with marble floors and countertop; however the shower has not been updated. It is a good sized walk-in shower. Even with dual sinks, there is still plenty of counter space.

The backyard is nice and flat with lots of grass for pets or children to play on. It is an L-shape with the two sliding glass doors off of the kitchen side of the home, leading onto a half circle concrete entertaining area. The remainder of the yard is primarily grass.

11 Savannah has many nice upgrades. It is clean, move-in ready and would appeal to buyers that are looking for a single story house in the neighborhood. The open layout is appealing and the jacuzzi in the enclosed atrium is a unique feature. Having such a big, flat yard in Irvine is a definite positive. The home is steps to the association pool and walking distance to Sierra Vista Middle School. However, I am not sold on the high price due to the location, bedroom sizes and lack of light in some of the bedrooms. The comps cannot be overlooked, especially with such a significant price difference for houses in a better location and bigger size.

A Review of the Melrose Tract at Pavilion Park – Residence 3

The Melrose collection in Pavilion Park (the first of the Great Park Neighborhoods), has the community’s largest – and most expensive – homes. The three models feature rooms often not seen in new construction these days. They have formal dining rooms and two downstairs living spaces, rather than just a great room. Built by Ryland Homes, each house has the option for a downstairs living suite plus a three car garage. The models didn’t offer lists outlining the upgrades, but I will list some of the standard features and try to note upgrades when I can. Once you express serious interest in purchasing, the information about upgrades is available.

See the rest of The Melrose Collection Overview and Review of Residence 1 here.

See a Review of Residence 2 here.

Residence Three

4,223 Sq Ft

5 Bedrooms, 5.5 Bathrooms, 3 car garage, downstairs master suite

Base Price from $1,588,205 ($376/sq ft)

Residence Three is the La Jolla home, modeled in the Spanish style and also available in Monterey and Farmhouse elevations. The model is shown with a reversed floor plan. Like Residence One, there are a variety of alternative room arrangements. This model houses the main sales office, so I couldn’t see the real garage. In the printed floor plan, it appears to be a much larger garage then in Residence One, as it is the full width almost the entire way back.

In this home, the view from the entry is a long hallway toward the back of the house, with the staircase just a few feet back from the door. To the left of the entry, there is a small powder room (shown highly upgraded), linen storage, and the downstairs master suite.

The downstairs master is a nice room, but over 100 square feet smaller than the upstairs master. It is closer in size to the secondary bedrooms upstairs (one of which is actually much bigger). It has sliding doors that lead to an inner courtyard, plus two more windows on another wall. The carpet appears to be the standard, plush carpet that comes with the home. The master bath has split sinks, with the door to the walk-in closet between them. The built-in organizers are shown in an upgraded finish that matches the vanities. This room has a somewhat small shower and no bathtub. It also has a big window facing the street, which doesn’t give the bathroom a lot of privacy.

For those who prefer something other than a master suite, there are two alternatives. The first is a den and bedroom. In this scenario, the original master bedroom is converted to a den and made a little bit smaller. The extra square footage taken from the den, plus the former master bath, are converted to a bedroom with a sliding closet and an en suite bath with a shower/tub combo and single sink. Both the den and bedroom are accessible from the hallway just outside the powder room (which is unchanged). The linen cabinets are eliminated.

The other option is for a private living suite. Again, the powder room remains untouched and access to the suite is just outside of it. You enter the living room, which is smaller than the original bedroom, but bigger than the den in the other alternative plan. It does not appear to have an optional kitchenette. A doorway leads into the bedroom, which is also slightly bigger than the bedroom in the last plan but smaller than the original master. It has a mini hallway that leads to a sliding closet and a bathroom identical to the one in the den/bedroom plan. The suite seems to have a regular door (as opposed to sliders) that leads to the inner courtyard, but doesn’t seem to have private access directly from the street. This is definitely not as nice as the suites in the other residences.

Moving back down the main hallway of the home, I passed more sliding doors leading to the courtyard, which has a nice fountain and small patio area for seating. Just beyond it is the formal dining room. This room is very rectangular (those in Residences One and Two were more square-shaped). It has big windows facing the inner courtyard and a door to the kitchen.

Across the hall from the dining room, there is a coat closet under the stairs plus a built in bench, and linen storage with an option for additional upper cabinets. The garage access is here as well, making a nice spot for a drop zone. Though I mentioned earlier that the garage is almost like a four-car garage, there does seem to be an option to turn part of it into a den. If you do that, it looks like the drop zone area will be more of a regular hall and the garage will then be a true three-car garage with one half having tandem spaces. It is a little hard to tell on the brochure, but it looks like the den can

have a built-in unit that would be back-to-back with the family room’s built-in.

The hallway opens at the end to the “morning room,” which is a large dining area between the kitchen and family room.

The kitchen is on the left and includes a very wide island. Seating on two sides allows for six to sit comfortably. One side has several cabinets and an optional wine cooler. Unlike the other two models, the sink and dishwasher are actually located on the counter behind the island, rather than in it. The wall on the far side of the island has numerous cabinets, plenty of counter space, and the cooktop. This is the only residence that shows the actual 6-burner cooktop that comes standard with the Melrose homes. At the end of that wall, next to the dining room, are the two built-in ovens and the built-in microwave. The third wall has the fridge and several pantry-height cabinets. While the model does have upgraded cabinets, it is nice to see the standard appliances and tile flooring.

The family room is on the other side of the morning room. It has a small fireplace in the center of one wall and a built-in unit next to it. The side wall has two windows and the entire back wall (stretching into the morning room) has sliding doors to the yard. Three different California Rooms are available – two are the same size but appear to have slight differences in the thickness and decorative style of the walls. The third is about half as wide. The morning room can also have optional stackable doors.

When you walk into the backyard, you might think you have stepped into a tropical resort. A lawn area with palm trees at both ends stretches across the width of the yard and the elegant pool behind it is just as wide. At the back of the yard is a covered patio area lined with lounge chairs that face the pool. Sadly, this yard is nothing like the real yards in most Melrose homes.

Upstairs, numerous optional doors create a bit of a maze. I found myself confused until I stopped to look at the printed floor plan. The laundry room is just to the left of the stairs. It has a sink, side by side machines, numerous cabinets, and plenty of counter space. A door at the far side led to what seemed to be a very large, L-shaped extra closet. However, as I stepped through the closet and into an elegant bathroom, I realized I had actually entered the master suite through the laundry room (this door/access is optional).

The closet led me to the spacious master bath. Sinks on either side are shown with upgrades; one side has the standard, attached vanity area as well. The standard, built-in tub is replaced by a kidney-shaped, free-standing tub. Windows above the tub overlook the backyard. Across from the tub is a big, walk-in style shower with benches at both ends.

The master bedroom is big, but a little smaller than those in Residences One and Two. It still has plenty of room for standard bedroom furniture and a seating area. The entryway from the main hall (which happens to be at the top of the stairs) has a niche, multiple linen cabinets and an optional, small fridge. On the far side of the master though, is another door, continuing the maze of rooms upstairs.

Through the door, I entered what appears to be the optional Flex Room. This door could be sealed off instead. The flex room in this home contains a sauna and has a Zen-like atmosphere. I’m sure the flex room could be used for anything. The standard arrangement for this space is actually a bedroom (bedroom 4) with a sliding closet and en-suite bathroom (shower/tub combo). Bedroom 4 is the smallest in the house. Even with the bedroom, you can still have an optional door to the master, so this could be a great nursery space.

I left the flex room and finally found myself back in the main hall. Directly across from me was Bedroom 3. This one is medium sized and sandwiched in the middle of two other rooms, so it has windows only facing the side of the house. Like bedroom 4, it has a sliding closet and a bathroom with a single sink and shower/tub combo. The bathroom shows a variety of upgrades.

The hall wraps around the stairs to the front of the house, where there is another bedroom and a loft. Bedroom 2 is the biggest secondary room and is incredibly spacious (over 60 square feet bigger than the downstairs master). It has a walk in closet and a private bath similar to those in the other upstairs bedrooms. The bedroom has a private door to the outdoor, covered deck. In the Spanish and Farmhouse elevations, the room sticks out as far as the deck. In the Monterey elevation, the bedroom is recessed and the deck actually runs all the way across the loft and the bedroom.

The loft is the final room upstairs. It is big and bright, with access to the deck and is partially open to the hall. The room is big and offers plenty of flexibility.

I think Residence 2 (Pasadena) is my favorite of the bunch. I like the layout the best and think it has the nicest downstairs living suite. I don’t really like how bedrooms 2, 3, and 4 are all in a row in Residence 3 (though I do love the size of bedroom 2). The Melrose homes are all a little too big for me, but they are great for someone who needs or wants a lot of space. They also boast one of the best locations in Pavilion Park. Their base price is actually on the lower side per square foot than many areas of Irvine. With many options for indoor/outdoor entertaining and multi-generational living, those in search of a large home will appreciate the value of the Melrose Collection.

A Review of the Melrose Tract at Pavilion Park – Residence 2

The Melrose collection in Pavilion Park (the first of the Great Park Neighborhoods), has the community’s largest – and most expensive – homes. The three models feature rooms often not seen in new construction these days. They have formal dining rooms and two downstairs living spaces, rather than just a great room. Built by Ryland Homes, each house has the option for a downstairs living suite plus a three car garage. The models didn’t offer lists outlining the upgrades, but I will list some of the standard features and try to note upgrades when I can. Once you express serious interest in purchasing, the information about upgrades is available.

See the rest of The Melrose Collection Overview and Review of Residence 1 here.

Residence Two

4,080 Sq Ft

5 Bedrooms, 5.5 Bathrooms, 3 car garage, downstairs living suite, bonus room

Base Price from $1,529,808 ($375/sq ft)

Residence Two, known as Pasadena, is modeled in the East Coast Traditional elevation; Santa Barbara and Craftsman elevations are also available. Like Residence One, I think this is a very attractive house from the outside. It has a nice front porch area, with access to both the main home and the private suite, and an L-shaped balcony on the second floor. This home has a two-car garage facing the street and a single car garage on a separate wall. The separation is really nice if you plan to use the garage as a workshop or extra room. The two-car garage has direct access to the home; the single car side must cross the porch to get in the house. The only variations to the floor plan that can be made to this home are a California Room and/or stackable doors leading outside from the Great Room.

This home has a large, square entry with the staircase immediately to the left. A hallway leads to the powder room and private living suite on the right and the formal dining room is visible directly in front of you. There is a large storage closet under the stairs. The powder room shows an upgraded vanity with a single sink.

The entry to the private living suite is just off the powder room. There are linen cabinets immediately inside the entry, shown in the standard white Thermofoil and with the optional upper cabinets included. You can see the private door from the outside porch and the entry to the single car garage directly across from it. In comparing this suite to the optional living suite from Residence One, the living room in the Pasadena home is the same width, but is 10’ longer than the other. The bedroom in Pasadena is bigger as well, but only by about a foot each in length and width. The living area has ample space for a sitting area and a separate dining space. The kitchenette, located on the back wall of the room, has a microwave, sink, small fridge, and several cabinets. A hallway leads back to the bathroom and bedroom.

The bathroom in the suite is highly upgraded, with nicer tiles and upgraded fixtures in the single sink vanity. It has a good size shower and no option for a tub. The bedroom is at the back of the suite. There is an option to put a door from the bedroom to the dining room in the main home. The bedroom has a two door sliding closet and a door leading outside to the suite’s small, private California Room and the rest of the backyard. All of its windows face the back of the house. This is a very nice living suite and is bigger than many of the others I have seen throughout Pavilion Park. However, this one does not have laundry hookups.

Back in the main house, I walked through the entry to the dining room. It is a large, square room with three windows looking out to the backyard and the optional California Room. One wall is completely open to the kitchen.

The kitchen is very big with an island shaped like a slice of pie. The sink and dishwasher are located in the island, which also has several cupboards and a bookshelf. There is seating for four or five around the curved side. The stove (again, shown upgraded) is directly across from the sink. The ovens, microwave and fridge are on the far side of the island. This home doesn’t seem to have quite as many cabinets as many of the other new kitchens I’ve seen lately and has only three that are pantry height. At the back of the kitchen, a short hallway (or “drop zone”) leads to the two-car garage.

The great room sits just beside the kitchen. One full wall is sliding doors and another has windows facing the backyard. A stone fireplace sits at an angle in the corner of the room. The room is big and bright and has one more window facing the side of the house.

The backyard is beautiful, but much bigger than the standard lots. This one has a large grassy area, a covered outdoor kitchen and a fire pit with plenty of seating around it. The outdoor kitchen even has a flat screen TV. It’s hard to know what a backyard would be like on most lots.

The bonus room is at the top of the stairs but is definitely more of a room than a loft. It has a half wall dividing it from the hallway and is bigger than most lofts. It is shown with the same upgraded flooring that they used downstairs. There are windows facing the back and side of the home. The hallway wraps around the upper floor, leading to all of the bedrooms, the laundry room, and the deck. Each bedroom sits at one corner of the house, offering a lot of privacy.

On the right side of the house, there are two bedrooms, each with a private bath. The one at the back of the house (bedroom 2) is a little bit smaller, but it has a walk-in closet in a small foyer area of the room. Its private bath shows what appears to be the standard vanity, but has upgraded tile in the shower/tub combo. With just one window facing both the back and side of the home, it doesn’t get as much light as the other rooms.

The one at the front of the house (bedroom 3) has the bathroom just off the hall and the bedroom beyond it. This bathroom is identical to the one the other bedroom. The room itself is a little bigger and a lot brighter. It has windows on three different walls, including a big one facing the street. You can have an optional door leading to the L-shaped, covered deck. There is also access to the deck from the hallway.

On the opposite side of the home, the laundry room and bedroom 4 are at the front of the house. The laundry room has a sink, side by side machines and lots of cabinets but no counter.

Bedroom 4 is a tiny bit bigger than bedroom 3. It has windows facing the street and side, plus a walk-in closet comparable to the one in bedroom 2. Its private bath is configured differently, but still has the same single sink and shower/tub combo. This one has different tile, but I don’t know if it is standard or upgraded.

The master suite sits alone at the back of the house and is completely private. A long hallway leads back to the room and includes linen cabinets, plus the options for upper cabinets and/or a small fridge. The model shows both. The bedroom is rectangular (20’ x 15’) and the shape makes it feel bigger than a square room. With windows on three sides and no houses blocking two of them (because of the huge backyard), the room can be quite bright. There is plenty of wall space for furniture plus an open area for seating.

The master bath has a nice set of linen cabinets just inside the door. The two vanities are located on opposite walls with the tub between them (similar to Residence One). Again, one vanity has both the sink and seating area. While most master bathtubs have the long side against the wall, this one has a short side against the wall, so it sticks out farther into the room. Fortunately, the bathroom is so large that it doesn’t feel imposing. The shower is directly across from the tub and has a seat, but isn’t particularly big. There is a nice set of built in cabinets in the water closet. Finally, the walk-in closet is at the back of the bathroom. It is L-shaped and comes standard with organizers.

I like the upstairs of this house more than the second floor in Residence One. I think it has a better layout and the deck is a nice touch. In comparing the first floors, I also like Residence Two more, but wish the kitchen had a pantry and tech center like the ones in Residence One.

A Review of the Melrose Tract at Pavilion Park – Residence 1

The Melrose collection in Pavilion Park (the first of the Great Park Neighborhoods), has the community’s largest – and most expensive – homes. The three models feature rooms often not seen in new construction these days. They have formal dining rooms and two downstairs living spaces, rather than just a great room. Built by Ryland Homes, each house has the option for a downstairs living suite plus a three car garage. The models didn’t offer lists outlining the upgrades, but I will list some of the standard features and try to note upgrades when I can. Once you express serious interest in purchasing, the information about upgrades is available.

In the living areas, the homes feature gas burning 42” fireplaces; plush carpeting in hallways, living areas and bedrooms; decorative 17” x 17” ceramic tile in entryway, bathrooms, kitchen and laundry; flat panel pre-wire in great room, bonus room and bedrooms; Kohler acrylic tubs with tiled shower and tub surrounds in secondary bathrooms; E-stone countertops, Kohler undermount china sinks and MOEN brushed nickel fixtures in secondary bathrooms; upgraded 5” baseboards and 9’ ceilings on both the first and second floors. The master suites come standard with walk in closets complete with organizers; Kohler rectangular soaking tubs with oversize tiled tub decks; oversized showers with handset ceramic tiled shower walls and frameless enclosures; white Thermofoil cabinetry and the same counters, sinks and fixtures as the secondary bathrooms.

The kitchens also have full overlay, raised panel custom cabinetry in white Thermofoil; granite countertops, Kohler under-mount stainless steel sinks; MOEN pull-out faucets; under-cabinet lighting; and stainless steel built-in GE Monogram Professional Series appliances including an Energy Star built-in dishwasher, overhead vent hood. Numerous other features designed to save energy and water come standard with the homes.

Each house also has a variety of options within the floor plan. I will do my best to outline each option as I describe the rooms. The Melrose models are directly across the street from the park’s tot lot and swimming pools. They are located in the center of the neighborhood, thus eliminating most noise from any of the major streets bordering Pavilion Park.

One thing to note: the models show gorgeous, huge backyards and are situated on lots that are approximately 9,000 square feet. Only a few lots this size are actually available and at a high premium. Most lots are actually around 6,000 square feet. So don’t get too excited when you walk into the yard of model 3 and feel like you’re in a resort – sadly, your yard will probably end before their pool even begins.

Basic Neighborhood Financial Information

Approximate HOA Dues: $193 per month

Approximate Tax rate: information not provided; other neighborhood homes are at1.1%

Approximate Mello Roos: information not provided; Hawthorn (the biggest models I have seen so far and range 500-800 square feet smaller) are between from $5,902 – $8,352 (based on the square footage of the home), so Melrose is likely higher

Base Price from $1,486,605 (Plan 1), $1,529,808 (Plan 2) $1,588,205 (Plan 3)

Schools: Canyon View Elementary, Jeffrey Trail Middle, Northwood High (all subject to change; Great Park has a K-8 school scheduled to open in 2016, as well as plans for a high school)

Residence One

3,910 Sq Ft

5 Bedrooms, 5.5 Bathrooms, 3 car garage, downstairs bedroom, loft

Base Price from $1,486,605 ($380/sq ft)

Residence One, known as Carmel, is shown in a reversed plan of the Craftsman elevation; Santa Barbara and Farmhouse elevations are also options. I like the look of this house a lot, especially in the modeled elevation. The front has a long, narrow porch that fits with the neighborhood’s efforts to create outdoor living and a social environment. The garage door is only for a 2-car garage, as one side has tandem spaces. Inside, the entry has a long hallway in front of it with the dining room visible at the end and a short hallway to the left that leads to a powder room, den and bedroom. Upgraded wood flooring replaces the standard tile.

The den faces the front of the house and has an option for doors leading to the front porch. It is a cozy room shown with numerous built-ins and designer touches. This room can serve well as an office or sitting room. The downstairs powder room is also upgraded, with fancy wainscoting, and a decorative, single-sink vanity.

The bedroom is just past the powder room. It is a good-sized room (over 12’ by 13’) with a two-door sliding closet and a private bath. The room has doors that lead to another porch area in the middle of the home that isn’t visible from the street. Recessed lighting and crown molding add a touch of elegance. The en-suite bathroom has as single sink and shows just a shower, though a shower/tub combo is standard.

Those looking for a more private space can opt for a complete living suite instead of the standard den and bedroom. In this layout, the den becomes the bedroom and is a little bit smaller. It includes a sliding closet that takes up one entire wall. The bedroom is converted to an entry area plus living room and kitchenette. The entry offers private access from outside and leads to the bathroom, which is a bit smaller than in the standard model. The living area is a little bigger than the bedroom and can still access the interior porch and the main hallway of the home. Its kitchenette space has a sink and fridge. In this scenario, the main home’s powder room remains exactly the same.

The main hall takes you past a coat closet with a large storage space under the stairs. The stairway itself is attractive, showing wood trim edges and banisters that complement the floors.

The large dining room sits just beyond the stairs. It has a big, open feel to it, as there are sliding doors leading out to the interior porch. It offers ample space for a table and china hutch with enough wall space to offer various furniture arrangements. The model actually shows two built-in hutches.

The kitchen sits just on the other side of the dining room, though the rooms don’t open up to each other. The first thing you see is the breakfast area and, behind it, a full wall of sliding doors leading to the backyard. The island has seating for four and includes the sink, dishwasher and an optional second dishwasher. A variation to the floor plan shows the dishwasher in the center of the island and the sinks on one side. The refrigerator, microwave and convection ovens are on the wall that borders the dining room. They have a counter with several cabinets between them. Behind the island is the cooktop, shown in the model with a major upgrade that includes a professional-style oven. Cabinets and counter space sit on both sides of the stove. There is a doorway on each side of this counter as well. The one toward the front leads to a pantry with numerous cabinets and an L-shaped counter. The model shows a wine fridge but I don’t know if this is standard. Beyond the pantry, there is a drop zone with a built-in bench and access to the garage. The doorway at the back of the kitchen leads to a tech center. However, the model shows the optional prep kitchen in this space instead. It has a 6-burner stove, refrigerator and sink.

The great room also has designer touches to create elegance and brightness. The back wall is lined with windows and the wall toward the front of the room also has windows that look at the interior porch. The side wall has the fireplace with a flat screen TV mount above it and windows on either side. With so many windows, the room should be bright at almost anytime of day.

The interior porch is a nice extra space, especially since the backyard will actually be much smaller than modeled. It has a long, covered area that runs the length of the dining room and hallway. Beyond it, a large, step-down area has room for seating in front of a grand fireplace. A grassy sideyard leads around the house to the backyard. The yard in the model shows a huge, outdoor kitchen space plus an additional seating area. This yard isn’t as big as those in the other models and may be closer to a true representation, though it is definitely still bigger than an actual lot. An optional California Room is available off the kitchen.

The second floor includes a bonus room, three secondary rooms and the master suite. The bonus is a loft area at the top of the stairs. Windows on two sides, plus more by the stairway bring in a lot of light. The model has a beautiful view of the park. At slightly over 15’ by 15’, this room provides a great living space and would be a great place for kids to hang out.

Two of the bedrooms are also at the front of the house. Each one has a walk-in closet and a private bathroom. In one room (bedroom 3), the bathroom is toward the hall and the room faces the front of the house. This room is a little bigger and, in the Santa Barbara elevation, it has a tiny balcony. The other (bedroom 4) faces the side and interior porch area, with the en-suite bathroom actually being at the front of the house. Both bathrooms have a single sink and a shower/tub combo; one of them shows upgrades in the model.

On the other side of the stairway, a hallway leads to another bedroom, the laundry area, and the master suite. Optional upper cabinets are available in the hall, which also has an included linen closet. The laundry room has side by side machines, a sink, and is lined with cabinets and storage cubbies. It even has a designated space for an ironing board.

The bedroom (bedroom 2) is even a bit bigger than bedroom 3. It has a larger walk-in closet and its private bath is just like the others. It doesn’t get as much light, as the windows face the house next door and a smaller window looks to the front, but is set back so far from the street that the house blocks a lot of the light.

The master suite spans the back of the house. An entryway creates a little separation from the main hall. The room is very large and having windows on three walls makes it feel even bigger. There is plenty of room for a seating area in addition to the standard bedroom furniture.

A doorway leads to the extra large master bath. It has two vanities – one on each side of the room. The one toward the back includes a seating area in addition to the sink, whereas the one at the front offers more drawers. The bathtub sits between the two sinks and the master shows the optional free standing tub. The shower is across from the tub and has a built-in seat that seems a little small to me given the size of the shower and the bathroom overall. Linen storage sits just outside the shower and access to the large walk-in closet is just beyond it. Optional access to the laundry room can replace the linen cupboard.

I like how many windows there are in this home, as I felt almost every room was really bright. The bedrooms are all a good size and the extra living areas create a lot of flexibility. It has ample closet space as well. The decorator’s touches were a bit too formal for me, but did make everything feel clean and bright.

To Be Or Not To Be: The Five Point Plan for the Great Park

At the November 12 Irvine City Council meeting, a marathon discussion occurred concerning whether or not the City Council should sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Great Park developer Five Point. The MOU would put legal requirements on the City that could lead to lawsuits if these requirements were not fulfilled. The discussion on this issue at this council meeting lasted about five hours. And, yes, I watched the whole thing.

Councilmember Christina Shea was the driving force for a yes vote, at least on most of the items presented. Major Steven Choi was close behind her in the yes category. Councilmember Lalloway wanted to be able to vote yes, but felt that too many legal issues had not been adequately vetted in the documents. And it does seem that vetting the agreement presented by Five Points and negotiating terms that would be agreeable for the City in the time allowed necessitated a rush job for City staff. In fact, it had the City staff working long hours and through the recent holiday. When City Manager Sean Joyce was asked by Mayor Choi how much of the vetting his staff was able to complete in the time allotted, Joyce stated about 90%. Mayor Choi was fine with this percentage. Both he and Five Points seemed to think that is was a reasonable enough percentage to allow for a yes vote. But Lalloway stated that does not meet Irvine’s high standards; he expected 100%.

Councilmember Larry Agran also expected 100%. And he had an even stronger reaction. He held up part of the document that they were all expected to vote on that evening and that had just been delivered that day to the council members. Lalloway said that he hadn’t even seen that document. To which the City Manager replied that the document was emailed to him that day and, therefore, it was understandable that Lalloway would not have seen it yet. In spite of the late notice of changes to the document, Agran managed to read the recently delivered document. He held it up with his many sticky notes that marked areas about which he had questions or concerns. Agran stated that, if the documents were signed as is, it would mean lawsuits for the City waiting to happen. Councilmember Beth Krom also expressed her concerns and opposition to signing the agreement that night (or by that time, it was early morning).

A brief description of the changes that Five Point was asking for that night is as follows: replace the current zoning that allows for commercial development to zoning that would allow for 4,600 additional new homes, do away with some of the area set aside for outdoor use, move the Farm and Agriculture area from its current location to another location, and change the plans which provide for an extensive sports development area to an even more uber sports development area. Five Points is looking for this sports park to draw international sports competitions. This change to the sports park along with the zone change for part of the Great Park from commercial to residential seem to be the heart of Five Point’s desired plan. In exchange for much of this, Five Point would take over many expenses related to development of the Great Park land that currently are the City’s responsibility.

Of the over fifty citizens that gave their opinion in the two minutes allowed to each commenter, they mostly fall, of course, into two groups—pro and con.

The pro group seems to be mostly sports enthusiast and many belonged to sports groups or clubs associated with “Build the Great Park Now.” Some from the business community also spoke for the proposal. Their comments mostly fall into one of these categories:

  • It’s about time. Build it already.

  • Currently, not enough available sport facilities exit in Irvine and Orange County. This would provide additional sports facilities in a location that would be about twice the size of Disneyland. (However, this is also a criticism.)

  • This would bring many jobs to our area, both during construction and on an ongoing basis after the construction was long gone. (Mayor Choi also mentioned Broadcom’s willingness, with its 4,000 jobs, to move to Irvine’s Great Park instead of Tustin, if they could be guaranteed a location in the Great Park. But Broadcom was not willing to wait long to decide whether they should move to Tustin or Irvine. According to Choi, this meant that an agreement needed to be signed soon, or Irvine would lose this employer and tax base to Tustin.)

  • Money is needed to develop the public portion of the Great Park. Where else will they get the money?

The con group seemed to be mostly residents without the above mentioned sports connections (and by my impression, there were more of these con commenters than pro commenters). Some of their comments were:

  • What’s the rush? These changes were sprung on the public, as well as the City staff and City Council Members, with little notice. Give the citizens time to see what is being asked and how it will affect their quality of life. Also, give the citizens a chance to have input into the development changes that are being asked.

  • This is a paradigm shift in the way Irvine has done business. It is abandoning the City’s long followed planning process that has lead to City’s reputation of superior development and infrastructure standards. Much of the control of the Great Park would be turned over to Five Point. The City would lose control of development standards.

  • An additional 4,600 homes will bring more cars which would mean more traffic jams and pollution. (Five Point’s Haddad pointed out that this was currently zoned as commercial which would have also added cars and pollution.)

  • There is the open question of how many residents would be able to afford the cost of using this new high-end sports park. Haddad has stated that some affordable prices would remain, but who knows how long this guarantee would last.

  • The additional homes would also put more of a burden on resources, such as water.

  • In the current plan, the proposed high school would be next to a jail and a toxic dump. Some thought that the plan should not go forward without ensuring that the school is moved to a different location. However, Mayor Choi said that this is a school board decision and not in the City’s control.

  • In the new Five Point plan, the Wildlife Corridor is moved next to the jail. It was pointed out that this could be a safety issue since some of the releasees have no place to go and could end up in the secluded corridor.

  • No funds are set aside for moving the Farm and Agriculture area from its current location to the proposed new location. This could mean that the relocation would never take place. Therefore, no more Farm and Ag component Therefore, no more enjoyment of this area by residents. And, therefore, no more fresh produce from the Great Park donated to the Second Harvest food bank.

  • The City will be selling public land. Therefore, a community asset that currently belongs to all city residents will be privately owned and controlled for private interests.

  • Up until now, sustainability has always been a key part of the building plans for the Great Park. However, in this new proposal Five Point makes no mention of including sustainability as a part of the development. This is a departure of the way Five Points has handled their Great Park development plans in the past.

So there are some of the basics. There is always more that could be said, but this will have to do for now. The crux of the matter seems to be, as City Manager Joyce stressed repeatedly, this would be a “paradigm shift” in the way Irvine does business and oversees development.

The City Council will take this matter up again on November 26. Pro or con, if this is a matter that is of importance to you, I suggest you get involved—and soon. Call the City Manager’s office and get the latest documents and details (they seem to be updated daily) on where this matter stands. Call and write your council members and let them know what you think. Tell your friends and neighborhoods about these changes to the Great Park master plan and the possible “paradigm shift” in how Irvine will do business and oversee development. Currently, many in Irvine don’t seem to be aware of these possible changes. And then show up to the November 26 meeting, and let your opinion be known.

Pro or con, take a stand.