» BEST
NEW HOME COMMUNITY
JEFF GRITCHEN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Ranch Mission Viejo was voted the best new home community as part of the Best of Orange County readers poll.
1. Rancho Mission Viejo 1 Salubre St., Rancho Mission Viejo; 949-768-1882; ranchomissionviejo.com The surrounding open space, with its rolling hills, creeks, canyons and farmland, is a major selling point at the new communities at Rancho Mission Viejo. The 21,000-acre Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo grounds the place and its residents, Stephanie Walker, Rancho Mission Viejo’s director of marketing, said. “From wildflower walks to breathtaking hikes and opportunities to volunteer, our land is what makes us who we are,” she said. The first built community at Rancho Mission Viejo was the Sendero development in 2013, followed by the village of Esencia. “With the village of Esencia now sold out, the next opportunity for new homebuyers to purchase at Rancho Mission Viejo will occur with the grand opening of the village of Rienda, scheduled for spring 2022,” she said. The first phase of Rienda is expected to include 671 homes in seven neighborhoods by four builders — Lennar, Meritage Homes, PulteGroup and TRI Pointe Homes. “Our interest list is growing every day, and we look forward to updating everyone as models are built,” Walker said. She added that beyond the surroundings and amenities, it’s about the residences at Rancho Mission Viejo. “Homebuyers appreciate thoughtfully designed homes that meet the needs of families at every stage, including Gavilán 55+ neighborhoods,” Walker said. “Our goal is to create a sense of belonging for all residents.”
— Kathie Bozanich
2. Great Park Neighborhoods
238 Merit, Irvine; 949-523-2001; greatparkneighborhoods.com FivePoint has come up with something in its Great Park Neighborhoods. All of them surround and are linked by trails to the Orange County Great Park, but each has its own aesthetic and vibe. The latest neighborhood is Rise, which mixes traditional and contemporary attached and single-family homes over nine collections. Like other Great Park Neighborhoods, Rise emphasizes outdoor spaces and gathering places. This includes gardens for quiet reflections, playgrounds and an Olympic-sized pool for activity and an overlook party deck for socializing. Other neighborhoods include Novel Park, which emphasizes an urban, walkable space that includes a neighborhood coffee shop and hanging pod garden. Then there is Cadence Park, featuring a colorful mix of eclectic homes featuring dual masters, private-entry suites and front porches. The Parasol Park, Beacon Park and Pavilion Park neighborhoods round out the development to date.
3. Baker Ranch
101 Mariposa, Lake Forest; 949-581-6709; bakerranch.nabrnetwork.com The master-planned community of Baker Ranch near the foothills in Lake Forest features about 20 neighborhoods over nearly 700 acres. Conceived in 2012 and built by Toll Brothers and Shea Homes, the first homes in Baker Ranch went up for sale in 2014. It was among the nation’s 20 fastest-selling new home master-planned communities a few years in a row before becoming completely built out. The community includes about 1,750 single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums. These range from two- to three-bedroom townhomes in the Brookland neighborhood that start at 1,273 square feet to fivebedroom single-family homes that top 4,000 square feet. There are seven parks, three private pool facilities, two tennis courts and a recreation program. The community also is home to the Barker Ranch Dog Park, a half-acre playground where pups can run off-leash, with separate large and small dog areas.
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