Portofino Estates on Lake Ray Hubbard is a planned residential community designed to evoke the feeling and look of the Italian lake country, the Amalfi coast of Italy and the beautiful town of Portofino. The homes will be decidedly upscale  and architectural plans will be required to adhere to the Italian/Mediterranean architectural style found along the shores of Lake Como and Lake Maggiore in the Italian Lake country and also along the beautiful Amalfi coast between Sorento and Salerno or in the harbor town of Portofino.

The entire subdivision is designed to take advantage of the inspiring view of Lake Ray Hubbard looking west across the lake toward the sunset. Four rows of houses will front on two streets which run parallel to the lake shore north and south. They are connected by two short streets at the north end and south end of the development. Each row of houses will be stair stepped to a higher elevation beginning with the lake front lots, which are designed to be 8 feet above the adjacent City of Rockwall Lake Park. The highest lots will be the fourth row of houses which face the lake and whose backyards look out over the western edge of Phase II of Castle Ridge Estates currently being developed by D.R. Horton Homes. In addition to having each row of houses on a higher tier of lots designed to provide better views of the lake over the houses in front, the lower two rows of lots have been platted so that homes will have a view between the houses on the lakefront row of homes below and in front of them. Furthermore, there will be a footprint for each lot which will have been developed by the architects for the subdivision to further preserve the views for the houses on the higher, further back rows of homes.

The backyards of the first and third rows of houses will face the lake. The front yards of the houses on the second and fourth rows of houses will face the lake. It is contemplated that some homeowners on the second and fourth rows will wish to locate their pools and terraces on the south side of their lots alongside their homes in order to improve lake views from the outdoor living areas next to such homes. The lots whose backyards face the lake will probably tend to locate their pools and outdoor living areas in back of the house, rather than  to the side. The architectural committee will work with new lot purchasers to preserve, to the extent possible, the coveted lake views which these houses will enjoy.

Each purchaser of a lot in Portofino Estates on Lake Ray Hubbard will be required to obtain advance approval of his or her architectural plans prior to building. The architectural committee which will include an architect with substantial experience in the design of Italian/Mediterranean style homes , will require the exterior of all homes built in the subdivision to adhere to the Italian lake country/Amalfi coast/Portofino style of Italian architecture, which is designed to give the community its identity and regional appeal. Architectural designs which clearly do not adhere to the theme of the subdivision will not be approved.

There are only 59 lots  in the subdivision and it is certain that the size and cost of the homes in this subdivision will be substantially larger and more expensive than the homes located in the adjacent Castle Ridge Estates subdivision in either Phase I or II. Although Portofino Estates on Lake Ray Hubbard will not be a gated community, there will be a clear entrance feature on both the north and south end of the development indicating to all visitors that they are entering a separate and distinct subdivision with its own identity which is not a part of Castle Ridge Estates.

In order to enhance the homeowners' feeling of security in this subdivision, it is the intent to install security cameras which will monitor activity in the streets and alleys of the subdivision 24 hours a day. All of this monitored video surveillance will be recorded and available for review in the event of an incident. It is intended to allow residents to be able to monitor on a continuous live basis the video surveillance feed from all of the cameras to their home TV or computer. Residents may also wish to install at their own cost video surveillance around or inside their own homes capable of remote monitoring when they are out of town. The purpose of these surveillance features is to enhance the feeling of security and serenity for those residing in the subdivision without impairing entrance to and egress from the subdivision by friends and family living outside of the subdivision which is normally the effect of a gated community. The avoidance of gated entrances will also reduce the on-going expenses of the homeowners association, which will bear the cost of the neighborhood video surveillance, but will not be required to maintain the streets since they will be open to the public.

Membership in the homeowners association will be mandatory and the dues will be utilized, among other things, to pay for the video surveillance.

As the subdivision is built-out in the future, it may be that the homeowners association may wish to employ a security agency to provide a patrol car during all or a portion of the week in addition to the video surveillance initially included in the subdivisions security plan.

A special price for the purchasers of the first 10 lots in the subdivision is being offered. At the date of this writing, 5 lots have been reserved by proposed future residents of the subdivision. These lots are noted on the attached plat. The first 10 lots in the subdivision will be sold at a price of $250,000 each, regardless of their location and the owners of these 10 lots  will have the opportunity to provide their input to the developers on the theme and design features of the subdivision.

The first 10 buyers of lots under contract with the developers will provide a bank letter of credit for the price of their lots to be drawn upon by the developers upon the completion of the subdivision. Work on the subdivision is planned to begin as quickly as possible after 10 lots have gone under contract. The subdivision construction should be completed within 12 months thereafter so that homeowners should be able to begin construction of their homes. After the initial group of lots have been contracted for , it is anticipated that the lowest lot prices will increase to $300,000 per lot. The most desirable lots will be priced higher than $300,000 per lot. This price compares favorably with the prices of the only remaining lake front lots known to the developers which are priced between $800,000 and $1.5 million per lot. These lots are all located south of highway 30. The 59 lots in Portofino Estates on Lake Ray Hubbard are the only lakefront and lakeview lots available north of highway 30 in Northern Rockwall for construction of new homes.

Below is the satellite map of the property location. The map is fully interactive so that you may scroll around to see nearby businesses and roads. The development is immediately left of the current streets you see in the map. The tree line along the lake shows the future site of one of the City of Rockwall's future parks.

It is the the goal of the new Homeowners Association to create a spirit of community among the residents by encouraging social gatherings among the neighbors, possibly including parties for new residents, as well as regular meetings of the homeowners association so that neighbors will be able to meet one another and share in the community. The goal is to enable each neighbor to know the other residents in the subdivision so that all residents will feel a genuine concern for their neighbors, thereby increasing the overall security and friendship in the subdivision. It is our hope to encourage a feeling of friendship, community  and neighborhood identity among the residents and to provide functions where new residents will be introduced to existing  residents as the subdivision’s lots are gradually sold and new families build their homes there. Periodically, the homeowners association hopes to host neighborhood picnics or other social functions.

The four lots at the north end of the subdivision face south and their back yards face the planned Rockwall Lake Park. The four lots at the south end of the subdivision face north and back up to the existing Heritage Heights subdivision. The developers intend to ask the City of Rockwall for permission to allow 3 story homes on these two short connecting streets in order to enhance their views of the lake. A 3 story height limit for these homes should not block any lake views of other lots, particularly at the north end of the subdivision where there will never be any homes built in the Lake Park behind those northernmost lots. (Diplayed Platte is subject to change at the discretion of the Developers.)

Please refer to the proposed City of Rockwall Lake Park plans which are shown in detail at the website City of Rockwall Lake Park plans. Once the neighborhood is developed and its thematic design and identity become known, it is expected that lot prices will be increased substantially to be more in line with the few remaining lakefront and lakeview lots south of Highway 30.

Contact Portofino Estates on Lake Ray Hubbard at portofinoestatesrockwall at gmail.com

Desco Custom Builders

Portofino Estates has selected several pre-approved builders for the development. Desco Custom Builders is a firm with the skill and resources to satisfy your dream home in Portofino Estates. Images of homes shown in site are examples of Desco Custom Builders work.

For information or to purchase a Lot contact:

Kathleen M Johnson, with Virginia Cook Realtors
at (972)380-7809 or kathleen at iselldallas.com.