New Townhome Community in North Orange County: Paseo at La Floresta, Brea

In my last blog, I reviewed the two newest luxury communities of Blackstone in Brea: Montserrat and Coral Ridge by Standard Pacific and Shea Homes.

About 1-1/2 miles from the 57 freeway, La Floresta opened it’s first non-senior community called Paseo a few weeks ago. With 118 homes planned to be built, Paseo features 3 different townhome-style floorplans starting in the mid-$400s. Each floorplan features an attached garage, front patio, and generous-sized kitchens.

What I liked

The master-planned community of La Floresta sounds intriguing. There will be a 60+ senior community, a 55+ community, a mix of townhomes, work/live townhomes, and a few single family homes. There will also be a retail section of the community at the corner of Valencia and Imperial Highway. La Floresta’s website shows a site plan along with an artist rendering of the swim and play club.

Assuming the retail offerings are good, residents would enjoy being able to grab a cup of coffee or eat out just steps away from their front door.

Dislikes

Residents would be responsible for (2) HOA payments. The master HOA is expected to be $135 at built out and the Paseo HOA is expected to be $210 per month.

The front patios don’t appear to be private or even semi-private at all due to low walls. I can easily imagine an irritating neighbor (in pajamas, of course) yapping away on the cell phone or having a cigar while in plain sight.

Lastly, the floorplans attempt to cram an awful lot into 1,500-1,800 square feet. Although the largest floorplan may be listed at 1,867 square feet, it feels more like 1,400 from no open spaces or large gathering areas. I estimate the average stay for a homeowner in this community to be around 5 years as they will eventually want a detached home or a townhome with a backyard.

Overall, the community appears to be priced accordingly when compared to the entry-level communities of Blackstone communities Serano and Amber.