

The McKeon Condominiums, also known as the La Buena Vida condominiums, are in a circular layout next to the Wildhorse development in East Davis.  There are four units per building, each unit gets one half of a twocar garage, and all four share a coinoperated washerdryer set.  Each unit is separately owned, and the condominium association maintains the building exterior and common areas. At the center of the circular layout is a shared pool and common room that can be reserved by residents.  These condos are generally among the least expensive housing in Davis. The majority of the condos are rented out, but there arent many students in the complex. The most common occupants seem to be families with young children and retirees, and the area is generally quiet and well maintained.

The La Buena Vida complex has special mention in Davis Municipal Code/39 due to the way it meters water usage.

Each building has a groundfloor flat (#1), overthegarage flat (#4), and two mirrorimage twostory units on the side.  Most reports indicate the #1 unit is most desirable, and the #4 is least desirable (according to selling price).  Note that they are not part of the new Wildhorse construction... they were constructed in the early 1970s, and until a few years ago were surrounded by open fields on three sides.  The new construction means the greenbelt, Nugget Fields, and Sandy Motley Park join the Oak Grove Park and nearby Oak Tree Plaza making this a very pleasant living space.

On the down side, the list of Codes, Covenants and Restrictions for this community is rather thick, so dont plan on doing things like changing your yard, or hanging clotheslines, and only the #4 unit has any significant porch.  All common areas (i.e. everything not inside a unit) are managed by the La Buena Vida Homeowners Association, which currently employs http://www.assocmc.com Association Management Concepts, Inc. for onsite management and fee collection. A 5person board of directors is elected annually from condo owners.

One rule that does seem to stay bent is the requirement to lock the laundry room in each unit... most are left unlocked to allow you to access more than one washer/dryer at a time to shorten laundry day, in spite of regular warnings from the management that this invites vandalism.
  If this was ever true, it no longer is. The current board makes every attempt to keep the locks functional and the doors secure.  Users/MattCzarnowski mc
    Does this mean someone goes around locking all the doors? Maybe my unit (which is the same as the original authors) is too far of a walk for them.  Users/AndrewChen

Unitrans L Bus Line stops near the center of the development in Fremont Court. Parking in the driveways is limited, though there is usually parking available on the street.

Computer and Internet Highspeed Internet is available but due to the distance from the central office, DSL speeds are limited to 384Kbps up/down. Comcast cable TV and Internet are available. Satellite TV is an option but the homeowners association must approve the installation of a dish. Finding a clear view of the south sky may be a problem as well.

Note: The units were built with wiki:wikipedia:Aluminium_wire aluminum wiring. When replacing electical sockets/switches or doing any other electrical work, you must use the proper CO/AL or CO/ALRrated parts unless your unit has already been retrofitted with copper connections.


20050823 16:31:03 nbsp While some things require board approval, its really not difficult to acquire. And although the official DSL speed is 384Kbps, I routinely get higher speeds. Users/MattCzarnowski

20060613 15:04:10 nbsp #4 is the least desirable unit of all 4 units in the complex and it is well known to the neighborhood and sold or rented with significantly lower price. Users/MoMostafavi

20060731 15:14:00 nbsp Although the selling prices of the #4 units seem to support the idea that they are less desireable, I find the layout of the #4 the best. Thats why I live in one. :) Users/MattCzarnowski

20070501 17:53:16 nbsp well i just moved in here and there are quite a bit of younger people who live here (probably because of the price). I also find that the #4 units have the best floorplan but the worst insulation. i dont mind because the 2 & 3 have only 1 bathroom and its upstairs.  Users/GregFurnish

20071201 12:52:50 nbsp I live in a #4 unit, and it is quite nice. It helped that the owner was able to install doublepaned windows before we moved in. I really like living in this complex; the proximity to Nugget, greenbelt, and empty space make for a convenient and comfortable place to live. However, BJ (the current home owners assoc. minion) is a major pain. In my opinion HOA should be banned on principle because they invariably lead to petty disagreements over little things.  Users/DylanBeaudette

20080413 09:53:55 nbsp Here is a fun experiment: leave your trash cans out for a couple extra days, and they will magically disappear. (Technically speaking, they dont really disappear rather the neighborhood helper BJ whisks them away to the dumpster dungeon over by the pool. You wont get a note or warning, and will have to navigate through her complicated system of message machines and pager if you want them back. ) Users/DylanBeaudette

20090408 22:02:15 nbsp I live here with my boyfriend and we have cable internet and its good. We live in a #1 unit and it is very spacious. 2 Bedrooms/ 1 Bath for $995 a month. We have to pay a set fee of $60 for water, sewage and garbage every month and every couple months they are suppose to send us another bill with the additional charges that the $60 didnt cover. We just got our bill and it was about $100 over 7 months, which isnt too bad.  Users/mowtov

20100305 05:11:25 nbsp Ya, nobody likes rules but BJ has greatly keep this complex from turning into a getto!  Users/Williams

20100912 18:44:57 nbsp The walls are horribly thin and my unit has singlepane windows. These factors combined means I can make out most conversations going on in other units and outside. If you value privacy or quiet, this is NOT the place for you! Users/JenniferF
