English Village developer to submit plans to city
Likely to go in front of planning commission by August
By NATHAN BRUTTELL
Today’s News-Herald
Published Tuesday, June 7, 2011 10:34 PM MST

Excitement seems to be building on new proposed plans at the English Village.

English Village property owners, Virtual Realty Enterprises, submitted this artist rendering of proposed plans at the property that would add more than 200 condominiums in three eight-story towers, 24 additional townhouses and 100 new boat slips. VRE representatives said they would submit plans to the city within the next two weeks. Submitted illustration

English Village property owners, Virtual Realty Enterprises, met with members of the Lake Havasu Association of Realtors Tuesday, a month after a public meeting that gauged the interest in residents on the plan set to “revitalize the English Village.” VRE representatives previously presented plans that would add more than 200 condominiums in three eight-story towers, 24 additional townhouses and 100 new boat slips. The presentation in May was the first step in a rezoning request VRE representatives plan to make at a later date.

VRE Development Partner Paul Sharpe said the local reaction has been enthusiastic and the group plans to submit the project to the city in the next two weeks.

“We spoke to a bunch of Realtors (Tuesday) and I would call it unanimous support,” Sharpe said, adding that roughly 30 people were in attendance. “We’re getting enthusiastic support from almost everyone. … We are just about ready to submit the formal application of the planned development to the city.”

Sharpe said he’s received input from several local organizations regarding the development.

“Primarily we’ve had very positive support,” he said. “The project is intended to re-energize the English Village as a gathering place for the community. It’s going to create jobs and it’s going to create tax revenue. The predominant reaction I get is something needs to be done down there and thank God somebody is doing something.”

While there have been a few who oppose the plan, Sharpe said he has one question for people who think it’s a bad idea.

“To those people who say they don’t want the change, I ask them when was the last time you’ve been down there? And not many people have been,” Sharpe said. “If you go down there now, it’s still a pleasant place to see but it’s not earth-shattering. It’s tired and needs a makeover.”

Stuart Schmeling, the city’s planning division manager, said staff would need to review the plans and send notifications for the meeting before it could be presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

“July 20 would be the soonest it could happen if we got it this week and were able to process it,” Schmeling said. “We have to meet all of the notification requirements and sometimes we have to check it for completeness and on bigger projects like this that could take a little bit.”

Taking roughly a month or two following a public presentation to submit plans to the city is not uncommon for a project of the same size, Schmeling said. The initial request seems legitimate, Schmeling said previously.

Jim Liesen, Planning and Zoning Commission chairman, said he’s eager to see the new plans.

“As someone who watched the London Bridge get built and has seen the English Village come and go, I’m really excited to see anyone’s new idea of what the future of that property could be,” Liesen said, adding that he has not seen any of the plans. “I am intrigued and keeping my fingers crossed that it’s a good project. I’m very hopeful that it’s something that can become a reality.”

Residents attending the previous public meeting expressed some concerns with the height of the eight-story towers.

“If I had one trepidation, it would be the eight stories,” resident Ed Knittle said during the meeting May 2. “But otherwise I applaud you and your company for coming in here and trying to make something out of nothing. That area has caused nothing but aggravation for a lot of people and I think you deserve a little credit for doing something.”

Knittle’s comments were met with applause from the crowd.

Currently, the area holds a C-1, or limited commercial, zoning. In order for VRE to make any changes, the project must be rezoned to the CRW/PD, or Channel Riverwalk District/Planned Development. Sharpe said VRE also plans to apply for a conditional use permit for the dock area and height exceptions and parking spaces exceptions as a part of a request to the city.

I for one am a glass half-full type of person, especially when it pertains to business. However more often than not, our media puts a negative slant on topics in their effort to glamorize and draw attention to same. After all, aren’t life’s failures much more interesting than life’s stories of success? All sarcasm aside, I’d like to think the media should take full responsibility for the negativity abroad, unfortunately we, “the public”, have supported the media’s half-empty approach thus aiding in our present economic debacle.

I personally do not have a solution for ending today’s economic woes, a cure for AIDS, or a means for taking care of the homeless. I do believe PERCEPTION is the “cure-all” to any/all recovery and that through the positive promotion of events we will restore Hope, encourage growth, and realize prosperity to be savored by all. It’s time to tune out the negative, live the day, and fill that half-full glass to the rim.

Cheers!

Mike Konen is the managing agent for LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com. LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com incorporates all the listings for Lake Havasu City Realtors. At LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com you will have at your fingertips all of the Lake Havasu Real Estate market information that you could ever need on one informative and user friendly site. With virtually every listing in Lake Havasu City and a host of other related information at your fingertips, LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com is the only site you will need to find the home of your dreams. Whether you chose a home with a view of the beautiful Chemehuevi Mountains or a panoramic view of the lake, we know that you will enjoy your home in Lake Havasu City for many years to come.

Please take a look at our Market Analysis page, a feature that sets our web site apart from the others. Many sites that feature Lake Havasu City Realtors offer this feature, but few actually take the time to peruse and research each and every submittal personally. When you are contacted regarding your submittal, you can expect to have information about homes and/or properties that are a custom fit to your needs. As one of the finest Lake Havasu City Realtors, Mike Konen will not be satisfied until you the client, have been matched up with the home of your dreams. A “close match” is not good enough, only a Perfect Match will do!

We want you to be completely satisfied with every aspect of your home purchase. There are two things as Lake Havasu City Realtors that we strive for and see as the greatest compliments of all: a referral from a happy and satisfied homeowner and/or a return client who come back to us when their needs have changed.

When contemplating the purchase of Lake Havasu Property, there are several options for the home buyer or investor to consider. For the home buyer that is relocating to Lake Havasu City, there is the multi-family home, as well as the single family home, to consider for purchase. A duplex can provide a residence for a homeowner, as well as a source of income when the second unit is leased. For the investor looking to purchase Lake Havasu Property solely for the purpose of income, are several different options, ie: a single family home to be leased on a long-term basis, or as a weekly and/or monthly vacation rental, a multi-family home, or the purchase vacant land, residential or commercial, either to develop or for re-sale purposes only.

LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com has all types of Listings. Whether it is acreage in the Equestrian area, a lot with a view of the beautiful Chemehuevi Mountain Range, a home with a panoramic view of the Colorado River, or a house by one of our six golf courses, Lake Havasu Property is a well rounded option for all. With years of building local connections and resources, we are specialists in finding our clients the right property for their needs. Just read our Testimonials page to see that we take our customer satisfaction very seriously.

Lake Havasu Property has an abundance of commercial type property with premier locations. If you are looking to relocate your business, or move to the Havasu area in order to fulfill your dreams of starting your business in a promising location that will bring you a strong demographic of customers, then we can find the right Lake Havasu Property for you to get your new venture started on the right foot. The Havasu area is home to a great community of commerce that will create a great circle of resources to help your business build a strong base. Havasu is home to many entrepreneurs that have had much success in building their young businesses, along with many large corporations that have relocated due to the strong demographics and promising future that having their businesses located in Lake Havasu City.

Mike Konen, Realtor is a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the Lake Havasu Association of Realtors (LHAR) and the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Being a member of the MLS allows Mike to access information on every listing as if it were his own. In short, Mike Konen has all the current and up to date information on Havasu Real Estate that a home buyer needs.

We have it all on LakeHavasuRealEstate1. Waterfront Properties to Golf Course Properties or even Horse Properties LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com has your Havasu Real Estate needs covered. We understand how important it is for you to find a good agent that is going to see to you every need or concern and we want to be that organization that does that for you. Havasu Real Estate agents are abundant especially since the recent real estate boom, but it’s only the people with good service that are going to be here tomorrow. Browse our Listings and we are confident with our large inventory of homes that you find the Havasu Real Estate of your dreams, and if you don’t visit our Market Analysis page for detailed search that will be sure to match us with your dream house or property.

Are you still not sure that LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com can take care of all of your Havasu Real Estate needs? Then visit our Testimonials page and see what our customers have to say about how our agents handled their business. Or, if you want to continue to educate yourself about beautiful Lake Havasu City and the surrounding areas visit our Why Buy Havasu section. In this section you will be able to peruse over gorgeous photos of all that our city and Havasu Real Estate has to offer. You will also find demographics and climate information and much, much more. Be sure to Contact Us with any questions that you may have concerning any of the information listed or with any other questions or concerns. We will do our best to answer all of your questions, or find a source that can. We look forward to hearing from and working with you in the very near future. We are confident that we can help you to find the home of your dreams.

Whether you’re an investor or agent, resident or broker the current and future state of Lake Havasu Real Estate is looking great. The addition of a 270 acre mall in progress and the newly built Home Depot and Lowe’s building supply stores are just a few of the testaments to how corporate investors are feeling about the future of Lake Havasu Real Estate. With a flood of interest and investments by large corporations Lake Havasu is quickly becoming a buzz word around investor circles. This aggressive growth that Lake Havasu Real Estate is experiencing has no sign of slowing down. The economy in Lake Havasu seems to just get stronger and stronger every year. With Lake Havasu’s year round beautiful weather, gorgeous lake, amazing sunsets, and it’s friendly and relaxed residents it is no wonder Lake Havasu Real Estate has and will continue to flourish for years to come, no matter what the status of the economy.

Lake Havasu Real Estate also benefits both directly and indirectly from the draw of tourism that brings in over 100 million dollars of revenue each year. Tourists not only pump money into the economy by being patrons of local business, but also by renting vacation homes and time shares from both private and corporate real estate investors. It is also very common for these same tourists to fall in love with the dream of living in Lake Havasu City and to either purchase a second home or relocate to the area. All of these reasons, coupled along with a well assembled city council that always strive to see that Lake Havasu Real Estate stays on top of the economy growth charts, help to make investing in Lake Havasu Real Estate a good choice for your future.

I am positive that Mr. McCulloch would be proud to learn of the thriving economy and value of Lake Havasu City Arizona Real Estate, driven by good jobs, and that Lake Havasu has been a city of continued and steady growth since founded in 1964. Lake Havasu City Arizona Real Estate value and demand continues to flourish and grow. Mr. McCulloch was the main sources for employment for the first ten years of Lake Havasu City’s inception .With the McCulloch Corporation and the construction of the London Bridge. As the population growth continued, larger retailers, grocery chains and watercraft and boat manufacturers began moving into Lake Havasu City bringing with them numerous new job opportunities and a push of the rise in value of Lake Havasu City Arizona Real Estate.

In the past few years, much to the delight of Lake Havasu City residents, our city has seen the arrival of several new restaurant chains and franchises. The arrival of several other large corporations and manufacturing facilities has done nothing but increase the demand for Lake Havasu City Arizona Real Estate.

Lake Havasu has come a very long way since early days when Robert McCulloch was building on a dream. This year has seen the first of a three phase opening of the city’s first retail mall, The Shops at Lake Havasu. The mall is located across from the municipal airport on State Route 95. On March 5, two of the mall’s largest retailers, JC Penny’s and Dillard’s department store opened their doors to the public for the first time. The Shops at Lake Havasu will also have an Ultrastar 10-Plex Cinema, a Petsmart and many other chain retailers. The anticipation and prospect of new employment brought by this new project, have only added to the bright future and value of Lake Havasu City Arizona Real Estate.

Construction and street work crews are making way for several new businesses and facilities next to the mall on State Route 96. This will includes a large car dealership being built by Anderson Toyota. Upon completion of the new facility, Anderson Toyota will be moving to Lake Havasu City from their current Kingman location.

If the BLM is successful in freeing up this Indian land, then there will likely be a slight decline of value to existing lots, followed by a big money making situation for Lake Havasu City Property investors. Obviously for the buyer, the time to buy is right after the land is released, but if you already an owner of Lake Havasu City Property the key is patience, you need to wait a few years for the prices to rise again, which they will, before selling, and make your investment work best for you. As far as when this could happen, it has been rumored for quite a few years now, so don’t hold your breath, but good sources say that it is in the works. The best thing to do is to always keep an eye on our Listings page and check the amount of lot listings for a plethora of Lake Havasu City Property.

There are still quite a few vacant lots available out there for the potential buyer to purchase. But one noticeable difference in the properties for sale now is the amount of preparation that would be necessary to make the land suitable to build on. As with anything, the most desirable pieces of land sell first, and the remaining lots will be just as sought after in time. There are many knowledgeable, talented and creative contractors here that know Lake Havasu City Property like the back of their hand, and that can build you the home of your dreams on any piece of land that you purchase.

The MLS Search page allows you to adjust the parameters according to the price range, type of property and location. Our Listings page utilizes a different set of parameters and has extremely detailed information as well as multiple images of all Selman & Associates current listings. Detailed information is provided such as single or multi-family home, room dimensions, lot size, important features, and multiple images are available so that you can easily find the property that fits your needs. Our listings of Lake Havasu City Arizona Homes for Sale is sure to have something for everybody. The Lake Havasu City Arizona Homes for Sale page also has commercial property listing. On our MLS Search page you will find search criteria such as price range, location, single or multi-family homes or vacant lots. Also, if you are interested in and have the MLS number of a listed property in Lake Havasu City Arizona Homes for Sale, you can go directly to the property by putting the MLS number in the proper field. There is no doubt that there is a home or property for everyone in our lists of Lake Havasu City Arizona Homes for Sale.

LakeHavasuRealEstate1.com makes every effort to keep our Listings page current with all of the up-to-date information available to us. Tools like the MLS Search information available to us. The MLS Search page is also updated on an almost daily basis.

With the beautiful sunny days and mild temperatures upon us, I think that the ideal way to start looking for a home or lot would be to have your Real Estate agent print out some of your favorite listings and hop in the car and go take a look at them first hand. Now is the perfect time to invest in real estate. You could be moving in or beginning construction on a new home even before the summer arrives.