http://www.lodinews.com/art...

Lodi homeowners find dream neighborhood not so charming

Last updated: Saturday, June 30, 2007 5:38 AM PDT

Scott McClarrinon says he was duped.

The 31-year-old Galt native thought he was buying into a dream when he and his wife purchased their home at The Villas of Lodi in November 2005.

He imagined he would raise his family in the two-story stone and stucco home at 455 Tuscolana Way. His home is tucked among 80 residences at the tastefully designed subdivision, complete with stately light posts and cobblestone courts.

Many of the homes even overlook a block of vineyards near Harney and Cherokee lanes.

Yet as soon as McClarrinon moved in, his dream and his neighborhood began to crumble.

The homes that had been snatched up so quickly at the peak of the housing boom sat empty for months at a time, with their owners nowhere to be found.

Green lawns turned to brown, left unkempt in the hot spring and summer months.

Tall weeds began to sprout in place of neatly landscaped front gardens.

"For sale" signs popped up throughout the neighborhood, replaced later by "for rent" signs.

Pigeons began to roost on top of abandoned homes, leaving a mess below.

(Marc Lutz/News-Sentinel)

McClarrinon's vision of a vibrant community of homeowners — as promised by builder KB Home — vanished.

"There's just not a lot of homeowners here," he said this week, noting that his neighbors now consist of renters, from a trio of exotic dancers next door to a group of five young men nearby who throw loud parties late into the night.

"It's just not what we envisioned," he said of the community.