Through Highland Groves

As we continue our tour of Morrison Ranch, our next stop is Highland Groves, located north of Elliot and east of Recker Rd. This project is still in progress, though it's about 80 percent built. The northern boundary is the big power line that abuts Highland High School. Trails and pedestrian access are very important to us, and Bias For Action worked very hard to make sure there is open access to the school from the community. It's small, but on the left side of this picture you can see the gate that is the end result:





As in our other communities, there is a large park lane boulevard that extends the length of the neighborhood. At the end of Park Lane, you can see Big League Dreams going up. This is the joint-use project between the privately owned Big League folks, who will maintain the park, and the Town of Gilbert, who is funding the construction.



To recap briefly, this site (where Big League Dreams is located, on the east side of Highland Groves) is owned by the Town of Gilbert, and has always been intended to be a park. With funds being tight for park maintenance, this opportunity seemed like a good fit for the residents of Gilbert to enjoy during the day, with the operator able to make a profit on its use in the evenings. There have been some difficult discussions of late due to cost increases and confused expectations between the town and Big League Dreams, which is not surprising in a deal of this complexity.

Highland Groves has 469 homes, and therefore plenty of children. I love to sit at the ramada at either lake and look at the tot lots, and I've posted about our bike routes before. But I usually don't turn and look south; it's also a beautiful view (though I must warn you that the mountains will not always be this visible):




As great as this view is, I still need to turn north to the fountains; much like Town Center Lake and the grain tanks, I never tire of this view:



We have dear friends who live in Highland Groves, and on Sunday, our friend passed on how much he enjoys living there. He's a young fellow; you know, one of those who runs long distances just for fun, and he detailed for us a running route that he had tried and loved. It involved going around these lakes, crossing Elliot and running along the burgeoning Lakeview Trails North neighborhood, and then down around the Town Center Lake and back. Gee, maybe I'll try it.

When it isn't 110 degrees.

On my bike.