Roundup on the Ranch

It's been a while since I've summarized the progress of various projects around Morrison Ranch that have been in my sightline, so I thought a brief roundup might be in order.

Higley Groves
I see that the landscapers have started scalping the grass on the east side, getting ready for overseeding. The temperatures have been very cooperative so far.
Actually, it's rather satisfying to think about both sides of Higley Groves, east and west, as established neighborhoods. We have the normal stuff of living in a neighborhood going on, and while there is still some of the extraordinary stuff - like the lines that are being buried at the north end of the neighborhoods, under the powerlines - the infrastructure of the community is pretty much set, both physically and in the running thereof.

Higley Estates
This community is well on the way to being established. I know that Bias For Action is still hard at work helping folks with their landscaping designs, and there are still cement trucks roaming the streets, but it is getting closer to being settled. The cautionary sign for traffic entering Prairie from Elliot has not yet been stolen; I hope that it is successful in reminding people to slow down.

Remember those violent thunderstorms we had about 3 weeks ago? Nobody that we know of saw it, but The Water Expert's conclusion is that this palm HAD to have been hit by lightning:


It died too quickly; all the water systems are fine, and there doesn't seem to be another explanation.

The commercial portion behind this tree (on the southwest corner of Higley and Elliot) gets mentioned in our office from time to time, but we have yet to find the perfect occupant; so for now, we just work on keeping the weeds out of there.

Paperless Office
Speaking of the office and my personal project of going with less paper, I'm not sure you would notice any difference from a year ago; but I feel like the progress continues, though at a slower rate. It's rather like raising a child: the first year of growth shows the most changes, and everything is new and exciting. After that, it's the steady, slower growth and development. Every time I retrieve a document electronically, I am thrilled and feel very efficient. But there are still reams of documents to get into the files, and my techniques are not yet polished, shall we say.

Lakeview Village
The most exciting recent news, of course, is the opening of In The Raw. Their Grand Opening was on Saturday, but on Sunday Erica Williams and Channel 3 spent the morning there, making smoothies and sandwiches. If you have yet to try them out, you are missing out; it is very pleasant to sit outside in The Oasis even now. And their smoothies really are killer.

The Zone Cafe, right next door, is still in the process of getting their permits to start construction on their improvements. When they open, the oasis should be a bustling place, with your choice of sandwiches from 3 places including Subway, as well as Garlic Jims Pizza.

Our understanding is that a major grocer has made an offer on the Albertson's site; and that's about as far as that news goes. No details yet.

Lights on the Tanks
The lights have been installed on the tanks for weeks; now the efforts are all going into getting the electrical panels up and running. Needed parts have been ordered, arrived and currently are being worked on; but there is no clear timeline for the lighting to be operational. Bias For Action jokes that we may have them for Christmas 2007...

Lakeview Trails North
Dirt is flying on this project, literally. The sewer lines are almost complete, and now they are starting to install the water lines. This phase of a project always amuses me; it looks like they smooth everything out and make it look great, and then they go around digging big holes and trenches and generally messing everything up, and it doesn't really look smooth and nice again until the houses are in.

Highland Groves
Just when you thought it was safe to drive on Recker, it gets closed and torn up again... This is the City of Mesa installing a (huge!) water line. It made it difficult to go down Park, but we managed to do that yesterday and look at the grass. It makes such a huge difference! The first turf installed, along Sabino, is really looking good and green, and the rest won't be far behind. The landscapers will, of course, soon have to overseed with rye, but because it's sod instead of hydroseed, that is possible. I remarked to The Sixth Man that in my neighborhood of Higley Groves West, I now notice the trees much more than the grass. He pointed out that this is the natural progression; the grass in Highland Groves is stark in contrast to the dirt, but the trees are small and unnoticeable. After 5 to 6 years, the trees "take over" and then you don't notice the grass as much as the trees. It's why we are so committed to our trees, from the planning stages ("you may put your light poles anywhere there isn't a tree, but don't even THINK of pulling out a tree") to the community HOA ("we will maintain the trees; they are essential to the character of our community").

U.S. Homes is now selling out of their trailer, and from early reports, business is brisk: they sold 10 homes on the larger lots in 2 weeks!

Big League Dreams is well underway, with the dirt moving there as well.



So that's a quick trip around the inhabited parts of Morrison Ranch. If I haven't mentioned something that we've been keeping tabs on (say, the fountain in the south lake at Highland Groves), it's because there is no progress to report, only more waiting. There are some other things we've been working on in the office that we're almost ready to share, but as you well know by now, things always take longer.