Cielo Verde: Quiet, safe, pleasant place to live

Want a distinctive home in a planned community with shopping within walking distance and a park at your door?

  Then Cielo Verde - "green heaven" - may be just the neighborhood for you.

  The development, located on nearly 400 acres between 32nd and 40th Streets off Avenue 8E, was envisioned as a master-planned, mixed-use community long before the term gained attention in Yuma as the new model for "smart growth" urban design, said spokesman Chris Hall.

  Cielo Verde is a joint venture between Cielo Verde Development and Jacobson Companies.

  "It's a three-legged stool," Hall said. The plans include 70 acres for commercial, anchored by the Foothills-area Wal-Mart Supercenter, up to 1,900 homes and a 25-acre park.

  Safety and convenience were key considerations in the location and design of Cielo Verde, Hall noted. Access is off Avenues 8E, where there is a traffic signal. Another signal is planned for Cielo Verde Drive, which will be the main route into the neighborhoods. And the residential area is buffered from the busy 32nd Street by the commercial area.

  So far, 12 homes have been built, one of them semi-custom, Hall said. Of those, nine have been purchased and are occupied, one is being used as a sales office and two models are available for sale. Two more homes are under construction. Homes are Energy Star-rated with energy-efficient features, as well as a generous list of amenities.

  The project started with seven floorplans from 1,400 to 2,400 square feet. Just recently, seven additional, slightly smaller floorplans have been introduced.

  This fall, the developer will introduce the Courtyard series of homes, with the garage behind the home and a private courtyard in between.

  " We're trying to broaden the market while still maintaining the integrity of the neighborhoods," Hall said.

  As for the commercial, in addition to the Wal-Mart, other businesses around it offer retail, restaurants and services. A strip center on the west side of Wal-Mart has just been completed and plans have been announced for Panda Express.

  When developed, the park will be a key feature of the project, Hall said. It will provide a place for residents to enjoy the outdoors with picnics, leisurely strolls or power walking and recreation.

  "It will be a public recreational area tied to the neighborhoods so there will be a lot of activity off the street," he said. "Stores will be within a walkable distance ... kids can ride their bike to get an ice cream cone without having to get on a street."

  Hall said he is discussions with the city of Yuma about perhaps upgrading the concept of the park to an area park that would be open to the general public as well as Cielo Verde residents.

  In keeping with the name of the new community, there is a heavy emphasis on landscaping for streets and frontyards, but it's landscaping that's suited to the desert, Hall said.

  The ultimate goal, he said, is to create a "quiet, safe, pleasant place to live."

  The sales office currently is open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 329-9000.