The Village that Feels Like a Community

Capital Village has become the city of Rancho Cordova’s there there. The Beazer Homes community is one of Rancho Cordova’s newest neighborhoods. In spring of 2006, residents began moving in as finishing touches were put on the park. Critical community mass came in 2008 and 2009 when the retail and townhouses began taking shape. The 827 built and planned homes include Bungalows (one and two story detached), Brownstones (two and three-story called “Reflections”), Villas (colorful, attached units called “Fusion”) and Cottages (more traditional single family homes with front garages as opposed to the alley-loaded garages used by the rest of the community).

The home forward principle that puts the porch in the front and the cars in the back stresses a neighborly feel. The public park and amphitheater at the center of the neighborhood has become a type of civic center for the new city. The Christmas Tree lighting was moved there along with the starting line for a number of community runs and concerts.

Ryan Lundquist, a Certified Residential real estate appraiser, calls Capital Village “distinct.” The mixed-use concept meets almost all the sustainable, “smart growth” standards endorsed by planners in the early 2000s when the project was being developed. It is light-rail close. More than 30 acres of commercial property in walking distance includes a new retail center that has drawn a Lowe’s, U.S. Bank, and CVS Pharmacy. Food choices include a Rubio’s, Subway, Starbuck’s Coffee, Yogurtville and Chili’s. The location of the curb-hugging development nestled between Zinfandel, Prospect Park and International drives makes it job central. Residents can walk to city hall or one of dozens of office buildings for companies as diverse as Vision Service Plan and the State of California.

From inside the Chili’s, Capital Village HOA Vice President and Brooklyn native Matthew Cummings talked up the east coast community feel of the project. “It isn’t unusual to see someone walking home from Lowe’s with a 2×4 on his shoulder,” Cummings said.

Cummings, a West Sacramento seventh and eighth grade history teacher moved to Lincoln Village in 2001 from Downtown Sacramento looking for a bargain. “I found a family,” he said. He and his wife were one of the first lights in the new Capital Village in 2007. The Leadership Rancho Cordova  Steering Committee member was appointed to the planning commission and became active in the Capital Village HOA (Fusion has a separate HOA because of its different homeowners dues system, but the two work together to put on events and address common interests). He is also active in the Rancho Cordova Alliance of Neighborhoods (RCAN) in an effort to help more communities connect and deal with common issues. “I feel like part of something here and I want to make a difference,” Cummings said.

At the next table, a group of uniformed men eat dinner, interrupted occasionally by diners encouraging their military commitment. Outside, two police cars sit in the parking lot. A few empty buildings have been broken into in the last few months.

Unlike other neighborhoods, crime and blight are not the main challenges in Capital Village. The HOA CC&Rs mandate keeping the appearance of the community – and therefore the property values – up.

“Parking is the biggest challenge,” Cummings says. No parking is allowed on International. Residents have to park in their driveway or around the block.

Cummings hopes the developer can learn from what worked here and improve the concept when it embarks on similar projects in other communities. “This project shows that infill can work if the developer is willing to push the envelope and the city sets high standards.”

Similar Posts:

• July 8, 2010 – Discuss It: Rio Del Oro Project
• June 18, 2010 – Rancho Cordova is an All America City!
• May 11, 2010 – Not a Rite of Passage – Youth, Parents, and the Community of Rancho Cordova come together to curb underage drinking, drug use
• May 26, 2010 – Mayor Kevin Johnson Addresses Green Economy, Regionalization at Rancho Cordova Luncheon
• June 18, 2010 – Magical Rancho Cordova, All America City!

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Posted by JT Long on Mar 8 2010. Filed under Viewpoints. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.