6/23    The Irvine Corporation buy a lot of land, enough to build cities.
        They build houses, LOTS of houses, and control when and how
        much to build, depending on supply and demand. Take Irvine, CA
        as their first success story. They still have a lot of land, but
        they choose to withhold land as to keep the value of the homes.
        They also charge an exorbitant amount of Home Owner's Association
        Fee, in which new home owners (since 2004+) have to pay $300-$500
        a month. They use that money to buy more land, and expand their
        operation. While some argue that they're monopolizing land,
        you can't deny that Irvine communities are also one of the
        prettiest, cleanest and safest communities in the U.S., and many
        say that you really get what you pay for. So what do you guys think
        about their business practices? It seems to me that land isn't
        really controlled by the state or individuals, but corporations.
        \_ Yes, Irvine is nice looking and clean, but it's like a fascist
           community. My uncle can't put up a satellite dish visible from
           the street because he'll get penalized. Exterior house paintings,
           modifications to windows, all have to go through approvals.
           You can't use aluminum foil in the front window... you'll get
           3 warning letters and finally a fine. Front curtain colors must
           be "tasteful" and blend in with the community.  There's a 9PM
           curfew for kids. You can't park on the street unless your garage
           and your driveway are all taken up. You can't use your garage for
           storage other than a vehicle (supposedly this will reduce fire
           hazard). They audit too, to make sure you follow their rules.
           \_ This says it all, "You can't use aluminum foil in the front
              window".  I stopped reading at that point.
        \_ They say living in Irvine feels like linving in Singapore.
        \_ I find Irvine sterile and bland. It is certainly clean and safe
           but I don't think it is very pretty. But I prefer cities.
        \_ I owned a home here, sold it, and currently am renting here.
           Irvine's just as pretty, clean, and safe as nearby communities.
           The housing price jumps as you cross the zip code primarily due to
           the school system and (relative to north/eastern communities)
           closer proximity to the ocean.
           Re: HOA's.  I don't know about post-2004.  I purchased in 2002,
           stayed on the HOA board, and we didn't pay ongoing tithe to the
           Irvine Co.
           Re: HOA ccr & community: It's part of the price of moving into
           Irvine communities.  Some ppl love the bland, uniform appeal
           Irvine suburban life allows.  Easy access to strip mall #179,
           with all the conveniences you need for modern suburban living.
           Along with this is HOA governance of outside aspects of your
           home, and how it looks.  You want external character? Don't move
           here.  I'm glad I sold despite the creature comforts.
           Re: Evils of the Irvine Co. Certainly all the charges that are
           normally levied against large, wealthy corporations are levied
           against them. They rake in profits to be sure, but iirc, they're
           privately-owned so no transparency.  I've heard the counter-charge
           that they're wasting precious undeveloped land, and that the only
           land left undeveloped is unsuitable for residential/commercial
           development despite the fact that their brochures and advertisements
           trumpet how "environmental" the company is for setting aside "green
           space."  I have no opinion re: public v. corp. control of land.
           FWIW, Irvine co. should thank their lucky stars for the UC nearby
           even while I'm sure they curse the land that the UC owns and doesn't
           develop as IC would wish.  Unfortunately, IC still controls too much
           land, and Irvine can't develop any of the character of typical large
           university towns. -nivra
           \_ What the OP misses is that the Irvine Corp. owns the land
              because it was a ranch. The same is true of the land owned
              by the Hearst Corp., Sierra Pacific, Weyerhauser, or Tejon
              Ranch. They didn't go out and buy land to resell later.