Potential Move to Camas (Seattle, Vancouver: appointed, for sale, lease)

[chricurtis]

Camas is experiencing stunning growth. there are close to 5000 new houses going up north of Lacamas Lake, most of them in the 375k - 600k range, on tiny lots. It will be very, very challenging for Camas to retain its "small town" charm in ten years.

The Paper Mill is closing down, but it is important to note that since it is owned by the Koch brothers, and much of the land has not been inspected for environmental damage, likely it will be brown field if not superfund site for decades.

On the upside, the public schools are excellent, as long as you are white or northeast asian.

[JacquelineHeiny]

Originally Posted by nestvine

Thank you everyone for the replies.

These responses align with my other research. It seems like Camas should be a good fit for us.

Hello,

We lived in Camas for 6 years by 192nd behind QfC, I loved it there. Everything close by. Im very liberal, no issues there. I dont go to church but there were close places. I didnt see any issues for children but there are issues everywhere. We lived 15 min from the Portland airport great for traveling.

Jacqueline

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by chricurtis

Camas is experiencing stunning growth. there are close to 5000 new houses going up north of Lacamas Lake, most of them in the 375k - 600k range, on tiny lots. It will be very, very challenging for Camas to retain its "small town" charm in ten years.

Ugh,

We drove over there to check out some of the new homes right off of Inlge Rd. and NE Goodwin. That large piece of land looks like clear cut. Unfortunately the homes seemed too cookie cutter, built right on top of each other. My wife wouldn't even get out of the car. That's never a good sign when shopping together. lol With 5000 going in, I do wonder if they'll have 'some' with a little better appeal, design, layout, street setup, etc..? Maybe some will have larger lots and they'll call them exclusive? Saw something similar being built just east of Camas High. Why such scrawny lots and all so identical? Where's the hint of originality with nicer exterior finishes such as stone, brick, etc..? What about a little more style and variety? Is that really what most folks want - total uniformity?

Derek

[notnamed]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Ugh,

We drove over there to check out some of the new homes right off of Inlge Rd. and NE Goodwin. That large piece of land looks like clear cut. Unfortunately the homes seemed too cookie cutter, built right on top of each other. My wife wouldn't even get out of the car. That's never a good sign when shopping together. lol With 5000 going in, I do wonder if they'll have 'some' with a little better appeal, design, layout, street setup, etc..? Maybe some will have larger lots and they'll call them exclusive? Saw something similar being built just east of Camas High. Why such scrawny lots and all so identical? Where's the hint of originality with nicer exterior finishes such as stone, brick, etc..? What about a little more style and variety? Is that really what most folks want - total uniformity?

Derek

Yeah we looked at those DR Horton Green Mountain homes as well. Camas address but not in the Camas school district. We initially liked one of them that was on a back lot with rear views just of the mountain and trees....then we found out a bunch more development was going on back behind there too and the club house and it's parking lot were going to be right next to it. And DR Horton's finishes aren't so great and offer no real customization. Want to put in a nicer shower for your build? They just tell you to go to Home Depot after.

We're currently building with Manor homes and having a much better experience there. They've got some drastically different elevations in their communities as well so it's not as cookie cutter. But really our choice came down to the lot. Backing to mature trees on a private lot with a million dollar home. If they ever sold and started putting a development behind us though we'd likely move on.

[nestvine]

Originally Posted by notnamed

We're currently building with Manor homes and having a much better experience there. They've got some drastically different elevations in their communities as well so it's not as cookie cutter. But really our choice came down to the lot. Backing to mature trees on a private lot with a million dollar home. If they ever sold and started putting a development behind us though we'd likely move on.

We just bought a home from Manor in Camas. The experience has been good. Small lots, but a good home for the price.

[notnamed]

Good to hear. We're building a New Bedford model in Five Corners. Typical 10' clearance between houses. But well offset so windows don't line up and most of the living space is in the back which is very private on our lot. Won't even need blinds for the back. At our price point in the low 400s existing houses that we were interested in weren't any better lot size wise.
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/f6814...473daa7efe.pdf

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by notnamed

Good to hear. We're building a New Bedford model in Five Corners. Typical 10' clearance between houses. But well offset so windows don't line up and most of the living space is in the back which is very private on our lot. Won't even need blinds for the back. At our price point in the low 400s existing houses that we were interested in weren't any better lot size wise.
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/f6814...473daa7efe.pdf

Nice, I really like those options, notnamed. Thanks for the tips regarding Manor Homes that you and nestvine are going with. It sounds like they provide a bit more in terms of customizations. I looked at their website and it appears they are building next to the high school. We actually visited a street over there briefly. I liked it more than the DR Horton development. We probably should have drove around more. There were a lot of homes still under construction or just graded lots. Most of the ones we saw were smaller and closer together. But then I noticed one on Zillow with a bit larger lot. Looks like the price jumps up a bit for those which is understandable.

Thanks,

Derek

[notnamed]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Nice, I really like those options, notnamed. Thanks for the tips regarding Manor Homes that you and nestvine are going with. It sounds like they provide a bit more in terms of customizations. I looked at their website and it appears they are building next to the high school. We actually visited a street over there briefly. I liked it more than the DR Horton development. We probably should have drove around more. There were a lot of homes still under construction or just graded lots. Most of the ones we saw were smaller and closer together. But then I noticed one on Zillow with a bit larger lot. Looks like the price jumps up a bit for those which is understandable.

Thanks,

Derek

Yeah only real complaint we've had with them so far is that they don't tell you everything they are able/willing to do. After we had finalized our deal we walked into a completed one that had rain glass on the bathroom windows for instance. Something we would have sprung for had we thought about it. But they were largely able to accommodate any customization you came up with for a reasonable price. We added some extra windows at $250/window, dual shower heads, some stone work, utility sink in the garage, etc.

[mikeofCA]

It is a very informative thread with lots of good information.
We are also considering moving to Camas area in the near future. One thing we read about is the nuclear waste and other pollution in the Columbia river : https://www.courthousenews.com/radio...iver-epa-says/
Would greatly appreciate insights from local people there. Is this a concern at all to Camas/Vancouver residents?
Thanks!

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by mikeofCA

It is a very informative thread with lots of good information.
We are also considering moving to Camas area in the near future. One thing we read about is the nuclear waste and other pollution in the Columbia river : https://www.courthousenews.com/radio...iver-epa-says/
Would greatly appreciate insights from local people there. Is this a concern at all to Camas/Vancouver residents?
Thanks!

Um no. Not really a concern. That is about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation which is 200 miles upriver and they are talking about slow seeps of groundwater from storage facilties that are well away from the river. The whole Hanford nuclear mess is a giant fiasco that they will be spending billions of dollars to continue to clean up over the next several decades or more. Legacy of our WWII and Cold War bomb making industries. But I have never heard anyone talk about it in Camas or of there being any issue with radioactivity in the water flowing past. if that were the case it would be the whole region including Portland, not just Camas.

The bigger environmental issue (in my mind) are all the coal and oil trains that pass through Camas and could increase in the future if coal or oil shipping terminals ever get built here. The trains pass right through Camas and right along the river. There was a proposal to build a massive oil terminal in Vancouver but I think that is mostly if not completely dead at this point due to lack of permits and leases from the State and the Port. But I'm not 100% positive.