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This article is "archived" now, but there is still some information in it that is timely for
today's home buyers considering a purchase in the Seis Lagos community of Lucas Texas.
"There's no MUD flap involving Seis Lagos"
Here's a great article from 2003 about the Seis Lagos MUD district, (name means "Six Lakes in Spanish"):
As Seen in The Dallas Morning News
First Published August 30, 2003
Wendy and Philip Coe were house hunting four years ago when they pulled into Seis Lagos, a gated community in southern Collin County. They said they immediately liked the large wooded lots, custom homes, six small lakes, 24-hour security, clubhouse and pool. They bought the first house they toured, the first day it came on the market. "We absolutely love it," said Mr. Coe, 38.
Seis Lagos has maintained a low profile since opening almost 30 years ago in an unincorporated area on FM1378 just north of Wylie. These days, area officials point to Seis Lagos as an example of a MUD done right. MUDs are "municipal utility districts," loosely regulated housing developments just outside city boundaries.
Ten towns, including Frisco, McKinney and Allen, are fighting a proposed 1,900-home MUD near Preston Road in western Collin County. By contrast, Seis Lagos has about 280 homes and may eventually reach 400.
Unlike the homes in Seis Lagos, those in the new MUD would be relatively inexpensive (about $150,000) and built on small lots (four homes to the acre). Homes in Seis Lagos range from about $200,000 to $650,000, and most sit on a half-acre or more.
Collin County Commissioner Joe Jaynes is leading the charge against the new MUD, which is being developed in part by Robert Pope, chairman of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board. It could eventually be home to 6,600 people, developers say. About 1,000 people live in Seis Lagos.
Mr. Jaynes said he's concerned that residents in the proposed MUD would clog area roads, use city parks, and rely on police and fire protection - without paying a penny in municipal property taxes. Residents of MUDs do pay county and school district taxes. However, he excludes Seis Lagos from his criticism of MUDs because of its smaller size and more expensive homes. "The only things I've heard about Seis Lagos are good things," Mr. Jaynes said.
Good Neighbors
Wylie City Manager Biff Johnson said that Seis Lagos has been a good neighbor. The homes in Seis Lagos are pricey enough to generate substantial property tax revenue for Collin County and the school districts that serve the neighborhood - Wylie, Allen and Lovejoy, he said. "The only thing we would feel from them is just some traffic," Mr. Johnson said. "But they also frequent our restaurants and shops and provide [sales] tax support for us."
Mr. Pope, one of the developers of the proposed MUD, said that Mr. Jaynes and other opponents are exaggerating the impact of the proposed project. "I think it'll be no different than any other subdivision of the same size," Mr. Pope said. "There are going to be more houses than this built in other parts of the county." He said the area needs more affordable housing.
For many people, homes in Seis Lagos would be out of their price range. They start at about $200,000 in the first phase of the development, which opened in 1975. Most homes in the two subsequent additions cost $350,000 and up, said Loudeene Spencer, manager of the Seis Lagos Community Services Association, the homeowners' organization.
Residents are essentially self-governed, because Seis Lagos isn't in a city. They elect five people to the Seis Lagos Utility District board, which manages water and sewer service. The community buys water from the North Texas Municipal Water District and has its own wastewater treatment plant.
Residents are assessed 47.1 cents per $100 valuation to cover utility service and road maintenance. They also pay $80 a month in homeowners' association dues for the pool, clubhouse, security guards and other amenities. The assessment rate compares favorably to area cities' tax rates. For instance, the tax rate is 59.8 cents per $100 in McKinney, 56.2 cents in Allen, 45.3 cents in Plano and 33.7 cents in Frisco.
Many residents say they like the open feel of Seis Lagos, which is about a mile from Lake Lavon. One of the numerous restrictions is that homes can't have wood privacy fences. Instead, residents can only build wrought-iron fences that are no more than 4 feet tall and don't encompass the entire back yard.
The homeowners association has an architectural control committee that approves the design of all homes built. It wants to make sure that each house is unique, said Mr. Coe, a committee member. "We want to get away from the cookie-cutter look," he said. "We're trying to avoid that 'Plano look' where homes go straight up and look like a box."
Builders Know The Rules
Most of the homes have been built by a handful of builders who know the restrictions and readily agree to them, committee members said. However, some people occasionally try to bend the rules aimed at homeowners. "We don't allow boats and trailers parked in your driveway," said Robert Flint, a board member of the homeowners' association. "Periodically during the summertime, people will end up doing that, and we have to send them a letter. There are people ... that customarily like to push the button. "They'll see how far we go. They'll eventually comply."
Many years ago, the homeowners' association went to court to force two residents to tear down a party dock they had built on one of the lakes. The association prevailed, and the dock quickly came down. "They knew they were in the wrong," said Ms. Spencer of the homeowners' association. "We could just see them having huge parties with noise."
She and others make no apologies about the nine pages of restrictions on homeowners. Among them: "No live tree having a diameter in excess of three (3) inches, measured twelve (12) inches above the ground, no broad leaf evergreen, nor live vegetation on slopes of greater than 20% gradient, may be cut without prior written approval by the Architectural Control Committee." Not for screw-ups
Don Light is a real-estate agent who has been selling homes in Seis Lagos for 13 years. Some prospective buyers have no interest in purchasing there because of the restrictions, he said. "For the type person who wants to have the liberty to do anything he wants, including screw up the neighborhood, this is not an ideal place to live," said Mr. Light, who lives in the community.
A minor drawback to Seis Lagos, residents say, is also one of its appeals: the isolation. For instance, the nearest grocery stores are about five miles away in Wylie and Murphy. "Even though it's a long drive, when you get here, you're glad you're here," said JoAnn Murray, who has lived in Seis Lagos for 24 years. "I think it's just the peacefulness."
For more information about the Seis Lagos, Guarded Community in Lucas ETJ (extra-territorial jurisdiction) Texas, contact me at either 972-612-2277 or 214-538-3776 or send me an e-mail , or fill out the form below.
