Within Reach of the Beach
Although the homes in Leslie Chartier’s Aliso Viejo neighborhood sell quickly these days, she has no intention of moving any time soon.
“We have great neighbors, and that means a lot,” said Chartier, 36, who moved to Aliso Viejo from Irvine in July 1995.
“Coming home from the grocery store recently, I got a flat tire,” she said. “I called for assistance with my car, and then I called my neighbor, who picked up my 2-year-old son and the groceries. In my old neighborhood, I didn’t know anyone well enough to ask for help.”
Chartier and her husband, Brian, 33, who are teachers, bought their 1,700-square-foot four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home for $200,000.
Residents say that the camaraderie Chartier finds in her neighborhood is common throughout Aliso Viejo, which has grown steadily in phases since construction began in 1981. The area will be completed next year, when the community reaches its capacity of 18,000 houses.
“When we first moved in, the rest of the neighbors were moving in at the same time,” says Chartier. “We’ve all grown close watching the area grow.”
Aliso Viejo is nestled between Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills. The community is also buffered on the east and west by Aliso/Wood Canyons Regional Park, 3,200 acres of wilderness greenbelt that is part of the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.
That open space, as well as friendly neighbors, affordability, proximity to the beach and the design of new homes draw many young families to the area, said Tom Steinhoff, an agent with Summit Real Estate Group, which has offices in Laguna Niguel and Monarch Beach.
“Because of Aliso Viejo’s design, it doesn’t appear to be crowded, and there are a lot of amenities [multiscreen movie theater, ice rink] for people with young families,” he said.
The community, which is served by the Capistrano Unified School District, has three elementary schools, a middle and high school.
Despite the added expense of Mello-Roos taxes [which pay for some of the infrastructure in the community) and homeowner association dues in Aliso Viejo, many buyers find that the community fits their budgets better than nearby beach cities would.
“Although I love Laguna Beach, I found the homes in Aliso Viejo to be more affordable,” said Renato Giordano, a vice president of an engineering company, who moved into the area in February 1998, buying a 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath house for $175,000.
“I was also very pleased with the solid workmanship of my home and the design, which provides a lot of privacy, despite close proximity to my neighbors.”
The typical home in Aliso Viejo sells for about $275,000 for a 2,000-square-foot three- or four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath, single detached home, Steinhoff said.
From High-End Homes to Apartments
On the high end of the market are homes with five bedrooms and three baths in 3,500 square feet with a view of hills and city lights for $550,000. On the less expensive end, there are 1,200- to 1,300-square-foot condos and townhomes with two bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths selling for $130,000 to $160,000.
The area also has apartment complexes with one- to two-bedroom units renting for $900 to $1,300 a month.
Mark Mednick was drawn to Aliso Viejo in 1991 by the design and affordability of his home and its location near a greenbelt and close to the ocean.
“It’s a straight shot through the canyon to the beach on my bike,” said Mednick, a high school math teacher and volleyball coach, who paid $180,000 for a 1,400-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath condo, where he lives with his wife, Melissa, and their 1-year-old son, Mitchell.
“Our place has a lot of windows, so it’s bright and airy, and we’re next to the greenbelt, so you can see a lot of trees,” he said.
Since he moved in more than eight years ago, Mednick notes how quickly the area has grown. “There wasn’t a whole lot here when I moved in, but now we’ve got just about everything you would need, including supermarkets and restaurants,” he said. “It’s not really necessary to leave town.”
Self-Containment Was Original Goal
Creating a self-contained community was the original intention of Aliso Viejo’s developers, said Chuck Shoemaker, Orange County chief of site planning.
“The developers planned a balanced community with a diverse mix of housing as well as commercial facilities and employment opportunities.
“In many ways, they have met their goals. The area has a good mix of housing types, and there are plenty of retail stores and restaurants,” Shoemaker said.
“As for jobs within the community, there aren’t as many as developers would have liked, but there are employment opportunities, thanks to a variety of businesses moving into the area.”
Aliso Viejo has grown so much--to 38,000--that residents recently signed a petition to make the area the county’s 34th city. Plans are underway to put the issue on the November ballot.
The cityhood issue is now being studied by the Local Agency Formation Commission.
“Most people would agree that incorporation for Aliso Viejo is possible,” said Daniel Schwarz, LAFCO’s project manager for the proposed incorporation. “The area has grown well, the home values have risen and there are thriving businesses.
“However, the bid will come down to a question of whether the area is economically healthy enough to fund a municipal government. Our job is to make sure that the proposed city will be healthy and viable. Right now things look very good.”
Community Is Coming Together
For Steve Dickey, who has lived in Aliso Viejo for nine years, it’s nice to see the community finally coming together.
Soon after arriving, Dickey became involved with the community’s development. “When I moved to Aliso Viejo from Irvine, the community was just starting to gel, and I could see that there was still much to be done,” he said, “so I started volunteering my time.”
Dickey is president of the Aliso Viejo Community Assn., which oversees maintenance of the parks and landscaping and provides recreation services. He is also chairman of the Aliso Viejo Advisory Planning Committee.
“Today Aliso Viejo is really coming into its own,” he said.
Dickey has owned two homes in Aliso Viejo. In 1990, when he moved there, he bought a 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath townhome for $125,000. Seven years later he bought a 2,200-square-foot single-family home with four bedrooms and three baths for $250,000.
“Aliso Viejo has everything you’d ever need,” Dickey said. “We’ve got typical Orange County problems, like areas with a lot of traffic, but overall, it’s a great place to live.”
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Julie Bawden Davis is an Orange County freelance writer.
