Small-Town Feel, Big-Time Crowds
By the time the sun set over the rolling hills of Ladera Ranch, more than 12,000 people had weathered the heat, the sun and the lines to take a peek at the much-hyped opening of the largest development in Orange County this decade.
Many had been waiting up to a year for this moment and arrived as early as 8:30 a.m., nearly two hours before the official opening.
Parking lots filled up to capacity, and visitors had to endure long lines to get into the model homes. Shuttle buses, 20 in all, ran nonstop throughout the day, with many filling up before all the guests could hop aboard. At one reception center, staffers ran out of hot dogs and were low on white-chocolate chip cookies.
As the day brought even more guests, Diane Gaynor, public relations coordinator for the event, said the grand opening “was running like Disneyland.”
Visitors were huddled to parking lots out of sight of the development, then shuttled into a community center to talk about the vision of Ladera, from ice cream socials to high-tech wiring. All the while, children could watch staffers make a hat or sword out of balloons. From there, visitors could either take another shuttle or walk, which was “strongly encouraged,” to the 10 model home sites.
Ladera is designed to lure moderate- to high-income couples who yearn for the old neighborhood of their parents and grandparents yet want all the amenities that modern technology has to offer for their children. Planned for the development are homes in various architectural styles by many builders that share a nostalgic spirit--illustrated by an abundance of front porches and a pedestrian-friendly layout--as well as LaderaLife, an online community network.
“It’s kind of like the way things used to be,” said Sandra Zeinfeld, a mother of one who lives in nearby Las Flores. Zeinfeld is not looking to buy, but after seeing a home in the Amberly Lane neighborhood, she said she just might change her mind.
“It’s got a ‘Father of the Bride’ look to it,” said Zeinfeld, 36, referring to the movie starring Steve Martin.
The turnout reflects an unquenchable thirst for housing in Orange County, where home prices have been growing steadily for two years. The median price tag hit an all-time high of $241,000 in June and could, experts say, touch $260,000 by the end of the year.
Real estate agents say a tight supply of new homes and a booming economy have created a sellers’ market--and long lines of buyers at model-home showings such as Saturday’s event.
Eventually, there will be 8,100 homes spread on about 4,000 acres framed by Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, Las Flores and Rancho Mission Viejo, to be developed over 10 to 15 years.
Planners said that in the first phase, which includes about 960 homes ranging from $200,000 to about $550,000, thousands have expressed interest in buying into their vision of what makes a home. And while organizers had expected between 4,000 to 5,000 people to attend the opening, they were greeted by more than twice as many guests.
Some worried that the development will worsen traffic and put more pressure on the already crowded school system. Although schools are planned for Ladera, they will not open until 2001.
“Oso Parkway can get pretty bad, depending on the time of day,” said Zeinfeld, who lives nearby. “What will this do to the traffic?”
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Others had visions of personal fulfillment.
Jay and Debbie Manning had waited months for a first crack at buying a Ladera home, searching the Internet for updated information and talking to developers beforehand about floor plans. Finally, just after the break of dawn Saturday, the couple set out to search for the home of their dreams.
“It’s definitely not the square boxes that I’ve been seeing,” said Jay Manning, 35, of Tustin Ranch.
Debbie Manning, who is expecting her first child, added, “We got sold on the hype. We’ve been waiting for this for months. . . . I have to admit, I bought into the marketing. But so far, I think they’ve been able to pull it off.”
Jeanette Kranz, 42, of Mission Viejo went through several model homes in the $500,000 range and said that while the homes are very detailed and well-crafted, she had a hard time envisioning big backyard barbecues in the space provided. She also worried that her children would not have enough room to play.
“There’s just not a lot of yard space,” Kranz said.
Others thought the much vaunted Internet access wasn’t really much of a selling point.
“It’s nice, but that wouldn’t come close to being a reason for me to buy,” said Annette Morgan, 38, a Lancaster machinist who is looking to buy her first house. She’s been searching for six months and was impressed by what Ladera had to offer--a safe place for her children and grandchildren and short drive to the home of her sister, who lives in Las Flores.
“This is what I’ve been saving up for all my life,” Morgan said. “I want someplace where the children can grow up together.”
