So yesterday, we decided to take a trip to Verrado just for the hell of it. I had heard about it before, about the tree lined streets and the "town square" plus the older style architecture so why not.
It's a very interesting place. It has
a lot of the qualities that I've asked over and over of why home builders don't do anymore, such as the tree lined streets. While not as common here in Phoenix as in the midwest and east coast, even Phoenix in the early days had streets lined with shade or palm trees. I think it gives neighborhoods a much better feel, much more inviting and easier to walk. Not to mention, they did this to
every street, even the ones with no development. Smart move, as when they do build in years down the road, the trees will be mature. Back alleys, with garage access from the alley, not the street. Rowhomes, again with very little setback.
The "town square" are was done very well and felt authentic, I was asking myself "How can they pull off 0 setback here, and downtown Phoenix seems to struggle with the concept so much?" This place has a street front CVS, Bashas, dry cleaner, coffee shop, and pizza/wine bar. It really did have a feel that we were in another town, maybe Prescott but much smaller.
The strange thing though...we went from...
"Wow, this place is amazing, I could definitely see living here" to
"It's nice" to
"Wow, there sure are a lot of kids and people seem to move (drive) slower" to
"It feels sort of isolated" to
"I feel like I'm on a movie set".
While the place had your basic necessities, such as pharmacy and grocery, where do you get gas if you need? Where do you get something from a hardware store? Driving back home, we did pass a Home Depot about 6-7 miles from Verrado on the I-10, and the distance isn't that bad, but it felt completely isolated.
If you are married, have kids and don't go out much, it could be a very good place. Definitely had that small town feel, everyone knows each other, all the kids go to the same school type of thing. But if not, then it could be a little weird.
Last gripe...while the homes looked great on the outside, they disappointed inside. I would have looked to the style followed through with large baseboards, crown moldings, and encased windows and doorways. They had none of that, the inside looked like any other tract home anywhere else in the Valley.
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