Laguna Oaks: It's all about families Laguna Oaks: It's all about families (August 30, 2002)

Meeting people is as simple as dropping by the neighborhood pool
by Kathy Cordova

When the new homes at Laguna Oaks were on the market, the developers used a unique sales tool. The semi-custom homes adjacent to the foothills were attractive enough to close the deal for many, however, any doubts were quickly erased when the sales staff whipped out the development map. It showed model numbers, square footages and lot sizes, but with one extra feature - the genders and ages of the children in each house of the up-and-coming neighborhood.

"We loved it!" says Mary Lou Stuart, mother of three daughters, who moved to Laguna Oaks four years ago. "We could see the neighborhood was full of children and we knew there were children on our court."

Laguna Oaks, a neighborhood of 161 houses, nestled between Bernal Avenue, Foothill Boulevard, Foothill Knolls and I-680, was designed as the ultimate family-friendly neighborhood. The first homes went on sale in 1995 offering a choice of five models - each with four to six bedrooms, large family rooms, bonus rooms, home offices and big yards - all constructed on large lots around a series of cul-de-sacs. The neighborhood includes a central recreation area with clubhouse and pool, tennis and basketball courts, two playgrounds, and plenty of open, flat greenways for roller-blading, bike-riding and dog-walking.

The neighborhood's family appeal was especially important to the many buyers who were moving to Pleasanton from out-of-state - many due to job transfers to regional high tech companies - who were looking to rebuild networks of friends in their new home.

"We looked at the neighborhood, and we figured since it was new, everybody would be in the same boat," says Jeanne O'Brien, who, along with her husband and three children, moved to Pleasanton from Connecticut in 1997. "We thought it would be easy to make new friends and it has been. I haven't met anyone here I haven't liked."

Meeting people is as simple as dropping by the neighborhood pool, where moms (and sometimes dads) congregate on sunny afternoons to chat about preschools, soccer teams or the job market in Silicon Valley.

In the early days, while new homeowners waited for their houses to be completed, they would often come to the pool on weekends to get a headstart on meeting their future neighbors. "If you want to meet people, go to the pool," says Cindy Gee, mother of two sons, who moved to Laguna Oaks from Fremont three years ago.

Gee, who is co-head of the Laguna Oaks social committee, plans lots of occasions for socialization, including holiday parties, summer potlucks, women's luncheons and end-of-school-year celebrations at the pool. The neighborhood also is home to three Bunko groups, golf and tennis groups, and a cluster of wine aficionados who get together to taste varietals and vintages. Many of the parents are active in the local schools - Lydiksen Elementary, Hart Middle and Foothill High - and the neighbors give back to the community through charitable endeavors throughout the year, like holiday food and toy drives.

Like in an old-fashioned small town, neighbors are usually eager to help each other out in a pinch. For example, when Cathie and Larry Payne's son, Mitchell, was born last year with a serious lung ailment that required an extended stay in Children's Hospital Oakland, their neighbors pitched in to help.

"People brought us meals, cheesecakes and flowers, and took our kids to their sports practices," says Cathie Payne, who has three other children in addition to Mitchell. The Paynes shared digital photos and updates about Mitchell's progress with the neighbors via e-mail, and everyone rejoiced and planned a surprise homecoming when the baby was finally released from the hospital.

"The day we brought Mitchell home there were signs from the entrance of the neighborhood all the way to our house," says Payne. "There must have been 30 families who made signs. Some wrote poems, some of the kids drew pictures. We stopped and read every sign, and I was crying. When we got home, our house was full of balloons. It was so amazing."

The neighbors are bound together by the Homeowner's Association, governed by a board of directors that is elected by the residents. Mandatory monthly association dues maintain the landscaping, pool and public areas, and include a monthly neighborhood newsletter.

The residents without children have either chosen Laguna Oaks because of its family atmosphere or have acclimated to it. Some neighbors make a conscious effort to leave toys in their front yards whenever a house goes up for sale, just to make sure potential buyers know what kind of a neighborhood they're getting into.

Attracting buyers to Laguna Oaks is not a problem. Real estate agents, and even home-seekers themselves, often canvas the neighborhood, knocking on doors, inquiring about homes for sale. Steady demand has driven the home prices from the mid $500,000s when the houses first went on sale in 1995, to between $1 million and $1.5 million today.

But the appreciation of their real estate isn't prompting many residents to cash in on their profits. As Payne says, "I love this neighborhood. I would never move. You can always buy a house, but you can't buy a neighborhood." Kathy Cordova has been a happy resident of Laguna Oaks since 1997.
Earlier residents

The history of the Laguna Oaks land is representative of Pleasanton's past. The Ohlone Indians were the earliest residents, with a small community near the Arroyo de la Laguna, just south of the neighborhood. When developers broke ground in 1994, they teamed with Ohlone consultants, the city of Pleasanton and archeologists. Artifacts and remains recovered from the site were sent to the Ohlone Indian cemetery at Mission San Jose in Fremont.

In the 1800s, as the Mexican government settled the land, Laguna Oaks was a part of two ranchos, Rancho El Valle de San Jose and Rancho Santa Rita. In 1919, the Meadowlark Dairy, the first certified dairy in California, was built on the site, where it remained until 1969 when the dairy was moved to Tracy.

Pleasanton is planning to construct the Alviso Adobe Community Park across Foothill Road from Laguna Oaks to commemorate these three periods in the area's history. -Kathy Cordova