b'which is named Central Bark.rear exterior patio, and the two-story Belice is 3,215 square At the present time, three developersPLCfeet. As Hauser narrates a tour, its easy to see why this Communities, Woodbridge Pacific Group, and Gallery Homesmodel starts at $1,372,853 but can easily top $1.5 millionhave completed (and mostly sold) a total of 159 homes.with the addition of high-end upgrades. The great room is Still, the relatively small population of the agrihood shouldopen to the second floor, which features a large loft area not feel as if theyve been abandoned in the boonies. One ofthat is perfect for the biggest flat-screen TV on the market, the first things Freehold undertook in their new agrihood wasand a second bedroom is down the hallway. Past the kitchen the construction of the Miralon Club, a seven-acre amenitieson the first floor is an enclosed space that can be used as a center. Interior spaces include a demo kitchen (where cookingformal dining room (with a walk-in wine cellar), an office, or a classes and demonstrations will be held), a large exercisefourth bedroom. The plunge pool is located in the rear patio studio with all the requisite equipment, a yoga/dance studio,opposite the primary bedroom and a second patio area is a caf and welcome center, and a large, colorful, fully stockedlocated between the great room and the detached, front-bar called MiraBar, as well as the HOA offices. facing casita. Overlooking a small lake, the exterior spaces featureHauser studied engineering and construction both a lap pool and a huge recreational pool, a hot tub, firemanagement at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and played on pits, bocce ball courts, event lawns, a pavilion, and outdoortheir volleyball team. He says that he knew from a young barbecues. There are even 24 raised bed gardens withage that he wanted to be a builder and, in fact, had a small herbs and vegetables. Residents can come here any timeconstruction company even while he was in college. He got and pick their own herbs and vegetables, Taylor says. Onhis start in Orange County 40 years ago when there was weekends, our bartenders will come out here and pick herbsvery little development south of Laguna Hills except for and infuse them into cocktails. Miralon is also committed toMission Viejo. Hauser chose to go to work for a company the support of local artists and is building a permanent artthat was developing communities in Laguna Niguel. When collection, including works from Shag. The views from westhe showed up on the first day of the job in a white shirt and north from the club toward the mountains are nothingand good shoes, the boss told him to dig a ditch from the less than spectacular. Reportedly, the price tag was over $22curb to a house. When he finished a few hours later under million, making it far and away one of the most extravaganta blistering summer sun, the boss told him to fill in the trench and well-appointed clubs in the Valley.and come back the next day with the appropriate work attire. There are four models in the Gallery at Miralon. All areOver the next few years, Hauser was involved in almost every three-bedroom and three and-a-half-baths but differ inaspect of creating hundreds of homes in Laguna Niguel. It was layouts, square footage, and upgrades. There is the entry-an invaluable experience for the future developer.level Calabria at 2,330 square feet, starting at $994,675, andHauser started Gallery Homes in 2001 and eventually the Beldi, with 100 additional square feet but with a slightlymoved to Canyon Lake in Riverside and continued projects different layout. Both models have front-loaded plunge poolsin both Orange and Riverside counties. We were doing in the interior courtyard, though the Calabria has a detachedthings at a really high scale at a young age. People used to one-bedroom, one-bath casita at the front of the propertycome up to me later and ask, How are you so smart? Andideal for an office, guests, or when your kid turns into aId say, Im not so smart, but I have common sense. When teenager. The third model, Oliviere, is over 2,600 squareyou get put in charge of that many thingsthe sewer, the feet with a front, detached casita and a plunge pool in thewater, the site, processing, entitlement, design, the vertical 34| Desert Magazine May 2023DM_MAY2023.indd 34 4/3/23 1:54 PM'