Rancho Vista California
A Brief History of A Palmdale Community
Rancho Vista
In 1984, the Rancho Vista Development Company set out to build an ambitious master-planned community in West Palmdale. Composed of exclusive neighborhoods, excellent schools, and convenient shopping, Rancho Vista has since become the most sought-after location in all of the Greater Antelope Valley (Palmdale, Lancaster, and surrounding areas).
For the avid or occasional golfer, Rancho Vista’s well-appointed 18-hole golf course—designed by renowned course architect Ted Robinson—offers players of all skill levels a challenging and enjoyable round.
Rancho Vista One
Rancho Vista, the exclusive single-family home development in West Palmdale, opened its doors to would be homeowners on November 3, 1985. Offering amenities such as tennis, golf, and swimming facilities, the community promised to be one of the finest in all of the Antelope Valley.
The housing units offered in phase one, known as Rancho Vista One, ranged in size from 1,359 to 1,739 square feet. Individuals lucky enough to buy in during the original launch typically did so at price ranging between $93,450 and $110,450.
Rancho Vista Fours
By February of 1989, additional homes in newer phases of the Rancho Vista development were now selling for $149,990 – $207,990. These homes were a tad bit larger than their predecessors. For example, phase 3 of Rancho Vista Development Company’s Rancho Vista Fours consisted of homes that ranged 1,372 to 1,768 square feet.
Although the real estate market has had its ups and downs since the opening of the Rancho Vista master planned community, owners that bought into the original phases are still doing very well for themselves.
For models between 1,359 to 1,768 square feet, property owners can now fetch starting prices in the mid to high $300,000s (pricing calculated as of the date of this article).
Water Rights
As the saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Shortly after phase 3 of Rancho Vista Four began selling, Rancho Vista general partner Gregg Anderson shocked officials at the city of Palmdale by filing a demand for damage of roughly $7.3 million dollars.
The demand stemmed from a dispute over water entitlements and development rights.
After approximately 2.5 years, the city of Palmdale, alongside Los Angeles County, agreed to pay the developer $2 million dollars in order to settle the dispute. Though it certainly was not the original damages sought by Mr. Anderson, it was enough to avoid a trial.
In November of 1992, the City of Palmdale agreed to pay $700,000.00 to the developer, while the county is believed to have covered the additional $1.3 million.
Builder of the Year
Just a short 6 years after the development rights and water entitlements settlement, and bygones had gone by, Greg Anderson was in the news again. This time, he was being praised.
In September of 1998, the general partner of Rancho Vista Development was crowned builder of the year by the nonprofit trade group Building and Industry Association of Southern California.
After 35 years in the industry—15 of which he had already spent on the Rancho Vista project—Gregg was being awarded for his efforts.
Efforts which, at the time, had accounted for over 5,000 homes in the West Palmdale community of Rancho Vista. He was officially honored in the Building Industry show in Long Beach, California.
Rancho Vista Today
Today, Rancho Vista is known as the gem the Antelope Valley, with some of the most sought after homes for sale in West Palmdale.
Perfectly guarded between the stellar communities of West Lancaster, Quartz Hill, and White Fence Farms, Rancho Vista is truly a diamond amongst diamonds.
