Another Viewpoint on Lakes

I saw this article in the AZ Republic on Saturday morning right before my sister's wedding, and an astute reader pointed it out as well. It begins with a discussion on the demand for lakefront homes:

Living on the edge of a lake may seem anti-desert, but lakefront houses in the Southeast Valley are so popular they can cost $100,000 more than comparable houses.

In fact, a house in a community with a lake that isn't on the water can still cost $20,000 or more than comparable houses in communities with no water feature, real-estate agents say.

"It's considered a highly desirable amenity. There was a period of time where every community that came on line included lakes," said R. L. Brown, a Phoenix housing analyst.

"Then came criticism that they were wasting water. They may or may not be. That is in dispute. Generally they are back in favor."

Jack Lavelle, a spokesman for the Arizona Water Resources Department, said that although some people disagree, the lakes do provide some important functions. They gather rainwater and prevent flooding. And they enable reclaimed wastewater to be used to irrigate golf courses, park lawns and common areas.

"It (use of reclaimed water) is one of the key strategies in stretching our water supplies and protecting our groundwater from overpumping," he said.

Our philosophy at Morrison Ranch has always been to provide amenities that are accessible to all our residents. That's why we don't build houses right on the lakes; why we build pocket parks throughout the community; why we work at providing green view corridors for every resident. All of these amenities have dual purposes, of course. Our lakes hold reclaimed water that we use to irrigate our grass and trees in the common areas and parks. Some of our parks are retention basins. Our tree-lined streets provide shade in a big way. Kudos to our design team that integrated all these necessary functions into an aesthetically pleasing neighborhood. Why would we put our parks (retention basins) next to a busy arterial street? That doesn't seem very usable for the kids and parents. I guess it helps in the designing of a community when you plan to be a part of it. We have joked with some neighbors who are moving into newer projects like Higley Estates or Highland Groves; each neighborhood seems to get better as we incorporate new ideas or toss out ideas that haven't performed.

Not me; I'm staying put in Higley Groves West. I figure that when you start with good quality, there's no need to keep moving. Besides, I can just go visit those folks.