Green Valley Residents Survey, 1987

GREEN VALLEY RESIDENTS SURVEY The following survey was conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the surmer of 1987. The objective of the survey was to determine the attitudes of Green Valley residents concerning Green Valley and its amenities. The report identifies factors influencing current residents' decisions to buy in Green Valley and their sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Attitudes towards and awareness of the planned ccnmunity concept and resident acceptance of the current merchant retail mix are also examined. GREEN VALLEY RESIDENT SURVEY He derived a mailing list of all Green Valley residences from a list of water hook ups for the single family housing and from identification of addresses from parcel maps and personal visitations for apartment complexes. Over 5,000 households from our enumerated list of addresses in Green Valley received a copy of our mail questionnaire. We received over 1,300 responses, a response rate of about 25 percent. The time requirements for this study precluded the use of follow-up reminders which would have increased our response rate; nevertheless, we received an excellent response. Such a high response reflects a high degree of interest in the community by residents. Green Valley Resident Survey Responses The information received from the mail questionnaires was coded, checked, and placed in a data base. Statistical analyses were performed. We turn now to a review of the major findings of the survey. These findings are organized by the question numbers appearing in the questionnaire. 1.a Are you a resident of Green Valley? Only one of 1,30 6 respondents answered "no" to this question. This respondent must have been a temporary resident. Clearly, our sample includes a high percentage of current Green Valley residents. 13 1.b If so, how long have you lived in Green Valley? Of 1,300 respondents who answered this question, 35.3 percent lived in Green Valley less than one year, 28.3 percent from one to two years, and 19.2 percent from three to five years. Over 17 percent had lived there from six to ten years. 2. Do you live in a single family house, a condo or townhouse, or an aoartment? Most respondents, 83.4 percent, live in single family homes, while 6.9 percent live in condominiums or townhouses. Less than 10 percent of the respondents live in apartments. Since the questionnaires to apartment addresses were mailed after single family addresses and we stopped coding responses early to meet the study timeline, some responses from apartment residents were not included in the analysis. Over 100 additional questionnaires, mostly from apartment dwellers, have been received subsequent to the analysis. Nevertheless, the response rata was significant. Exclusion of the subsequent responses does not preclude full analysis. Moreover, these additional responses would not appreciably change the findings. Frequency Percent 83.4 6.9 9.7 100.0 Single family home Condo/townhouse Apartment 1, 088 90 127 1,305 14 3. Do you work in Green Valley, Las Vegas, Henderson, within Clark County or outside Clark County? Green Valley 78 6.6 Las Vegas 845 71.0 Henderson 61 5.1 Within Clark County 173 14.5 Outside Clark County 33 2.3 1,190 100.0 The largest proportion, 71.0 percent of 1,190 responses, work in Las Vegas. Another 14.5 percent work in Clark County. We find 6.6 percent work in Green Valley and 5.1 percent work in nearby Henderson. Only 2.8 percent work outside of Clark County. One may conclude that Green Valley residents are commuters and they incur longer commute times to work than others. Moreover, one may reason that the additional cost and time of commuting is more than compensated by the benefits of living in Green Valley. 4. Please rate the following factors related to Green Valley. (1) Very Positive (2) Positive (3) Neither Positive Nor Negative (4) Negative (5) Very Negative - (1) (2) (3) ( 4) (5) Overall design of community 43 .0 48 .7 5 .5 1 .5 1 .2 Cleanliness 40 .0 48 .5 7 .0 2 .9 1 . 6 Quality of housing 29 .6 54 .1 11 .7 2 .3 2 .3 Maintenance of housing 19 . 8 59 .9 16 .0 3 .5 0 . 8 Landscaping 28 .0 56 .9 11 .4 2 .6 1 .1 Layout of streets/Traffic circulation 17 . 9 44 .2 21 .4 12 .5 4 . 0 Maintenance of roads, sidewalks, lighting 23 . 8 46 .5 16 .9 9 .2 3 . 6 Restaurants 3 .0 14 .2 40 .7 31 .8 10 .3 Public recreation/parks 16 .4 43 .1 25 .8 12 .1 2 .7 Public parking 10 .8 38 .9 41 .2 7 .1 2 .0 Churches 9 .4 24 .6 49 .3 13 .3 3 .3 Arts program 13 .4 33 .8 43 .7 6 .9 2 .2 Community activities 8 .1 30. .5 49 .5 9. 4 2 .5 Sculpture program 48 .3 32 .7 15. .5 1. ,7 1. .9 15 The residents felt most positive about the overall design of the community, the sculpture program, and the cleanliness of the community. They were less positive, though not negative, about community activities, churches, and public parking. The dissatisfaction with the lack of restaurants is predominantly negative. For all factors except restaurants, the responses were predominantly positive. 5. a Are you familiar with the "planned community concept? Of 1,303 responses, only 12.1 percent responded "no" and 87.9 percent responded "yes." Residents clearly know they live in a planned community 5 .b If so, do you feel that Green Valley is a good example of a planned community? Of 1,285 responses, 8.4 percent said "no" and 91.6 percent said "yes" Residents, by an overwhelming majority, believe they live in a good example of a planned community. 6 .a Are you familiar with the American Nevada Corporation? Of 1,301 responses, 56.5 percent replied "no" and 43.5 percent replied "yes". 16 6 . b If yes, how much do you think that American Nevada Corporation has contributed to the overall quality of life in Green Valley? Frequency Percent A great deal 354 27.4 Some 177 13.7 Very little 25 1.9 Nothing 4 0.3 Skip 732 56.7 1,292 100 .0 Most respondents, not being familiar with the American Nevada Corporation, skipped this question. Of those who were familiar with American Nevada, most said that it contributed a great deal to the overall quality of life. 17 7.a What do you like the moat about Green Valley? The planned community concept was the moat frequently cited desirable trait of Green Valley, 13.8 percent of the responses to this question. The qualities of "quiet, nice" were cited by 11.2 percent of the 1,217 responses. Other frequently identified qualities were: "location" (8.2 percent), "out of city" (7.5 percent), and "clean, friendly place" (6.7 percent). Most LiJced Traits Frequency Trait I 168 Planned community A I 136 Quiet, nice M 1 84 Neighbors/neighborhood feeling B I 82 Clean, friendly place I I 68 Family type living A I 40 Country atmosphere N 1 37 Appearance C 1 56 Green landscaping z 1 14 Sculptures I _33 Well maintained houses/yards 550 L I 108 Location 0 1 91 Out of city C 1 58 New area A I 33 Everything is close T 1 16 Near city I I 7 Close to Showboat Country Club 0 I 5 Out of Henderson cloud N 318 Q I 37 Quality of housing T3 1 26 Size of homes, houses in general A I 23 Residential area L I 20 Preserve home equity (good investment) I 1 9 Standards for houaing control T 1 3 Cuatom home communities Y 118 M 1 36 Henderson police, safety I 1 19 Schools S I 5 Air c 1 _3 Shopping center 63 18 7.b What do you like the least about Green Valley? Of 1,055 responses, the largest group of complaints had to do with lack of amenities. The next most common group of complaints had to do with traffic problems. A significant number of complaints seem to be related to extraordinary fast growth and its accompanying problems. Although the traits have been grouped according to type, seme complaints could as well be referenced under another category. For instance, the remarks regarding the sewage and water system may be a result of the rapid growth. A M E N I T* ?I s Frequency 132 71 42 29 5 279 least Liked Traits Trait Few shopping facilities Lack of restaurants Some services not available (auto, doctors, schools, banks) Not enough supermarkets Underdeveloped R A F F I C 66 36 36 35 28 22 20 17 13 4 277 Traffic problems Shopping center layout (access) 3ad roads Poor access to city Planning for utilities and roads Drive to city without freeway/far from city Parked vehicles on main roads Street layout Distance to work No public transportation 19 Least: Liked Traits (cont'd) R A P R 0 W T H M I S C? L L A N? o u s 60 Maintenance cf hemes, yards, streets (lack of) 4 6 No neighborhood feeling (parks, pools, activities) 15 No activies available to teenagers, children 11 Small lets 9 Poor quality cf homes, buildings 7 Homes in tracts 24 Too crowded 23 Growing too fast 19 Overcrowding 22 Lack of schools 236 53 Too many apartments 11 Apartments on parkway around golf course 3 6 Being part of Henderson 2 4 .Henderson Cloud/air pollution 6 Post office in Henderson 33 Smell of golf course water system 13 Sewage system/water system 7 Overall planning 18 Inconsistency of development 6 Lack of police protection 13 Dusty, windy 3 Suburbia 3 Too close to the city 180 8. Would vou choose Green Valley for your next home or apartment? No question better measures the satisfaction of residents with Green Valley than if they would make the same residence location if they were to make the decision again. Overwhelmingly, the great majority, 94.0 percent responded "yes". Only 6.0 percent replied "no." Forty-nine persons chose not to answer this question. 20 9. Which of the following areas ia Green Valley would you like to see changed? In the following table, the percentages of responses pertaining to that specific service are entered. The more significant responses, identifying either more or less, are preceded by an asterisk "*." Better No Service More Fewer Quality Change Banking 471 4 97 658 Day Care Facilities 191 25 62 809 Professional Services 599 18 76 503 Grooming Services 488 27 82 602 Cleaning/Laundry 367 19 101 712 Home Repair Services 507 23 69 569 Auto Repair Services 676 48 51 433 * Travel Agents 200 40 67 852 Fast Food Restaurants 391 157 8 9 576 * Formal Restaurants 871 15 108 232 * Family Restaurants 926 18 127 179 Health Clubs/Spas 587 26 27 540 * Bars/Saloons/Nightclubs 17 6 296 77 649 Service Stations 750 48 61 372 * Recreation ? Theaters 1, 043 19 22 168 Other 146 10 4 70 Better No Retail Merchants More Fewer Quality Change Pharmacy 504 7 44 649 * Clothing Stores 784 19 63 367 * Shoe Stores 761 23 39 399 * Grocery Stores 716 7 60 470 Electronics Stores 446 25 20 691 Furniture/Appliances 480 28 16 680 * Bookstores 788 5 23 399 Specialty/Giftshops 647 23 56 481 * Major Department Stores 782 39 16 407 Discount Stores 565 87 16 555 * Convenience 244 194 16 738 Auto Parts 464 67 17 645 Other 93 5 3 138 21 The services most clearly cited in greater demand are formal and family restaurants, recreation, and theaters. The services least demanded and most opposed are fast food restaurants, bars, saloons and nightclubs. The retail merchants most clearly in demand are bookstores, major department stores, and clothing stores, with 60 to 70 percent of the respondents requesting more. Convenience stores are the least wanted of retailers. In general, more people wanted better quality services, and more and better quality retail merchants. 10. What factors affected your decision to live in Green Valley? The most important factors were quality of housing available (58.1 percent) and the type of housing available (57.5 percent). The least important factor was home price/rent. Most residents believe they have purchased the type and quality of housing they want at a reasonable price. Factor Location relative to greater Las Vegas Type of housing available Quality of housing Prestige of community Home price/rent Planned community Other Yes No % Yes 643 667 49.1 753 557 57.5 761 549 58.1 660 650 50.4 418 891 31.9 747 563 57.0 137 1,167 10.5 22 11. a Which ot the following best describes your household? Frequency Percent Single, no children 203 15.5% Single, with children 63 5.2 Couple, no children 40 9 31.3 Couple, with children 62 6 47 . 9 Total 1,306 100.0% Approximately 80 percent of the respondents are couples, and children are present in over 50 percent of the responding households. 11.b If there are children in your household, how many? Frequency Percent One 251 36.4 Two 309 44.8 Three 96 13.9 Four/more 34 4.9 Total 1,293 100.0 Eighty percent of the responding households with children have two or less children. 11. c What ia the age of the youngest child that lives with you? Frequency Percent Less than 1 year 93 13.5 1 - 6 years 270 39.0 7 - 1 2 years 17 6 25.4 13 - 18 years 94 13.6 Over 18 59 8 .5 Total 1,295 100.0 Approximately one-half of the responding families with children have a child less than six years of age. 23 12. Which of the following occupational categories beat represents the primary employment of the head of your household? Frequency Percent Clerical 30 2.3 Manager 298 22.9 Professional/technical 615 47.2 Tradesman 104 8 . 0 Retired 128 9.8 Other 128 9 . 8 Total 1, 303 100 .0 Almost 50 p?rcent of the heads of household are professionally or technically employed. 13. The next question is optional but a reply would be helpful to us. What group best describes your household income before taxes? Frequency Percent Less than $25,000 93 7 . 8 $25,001 - 35,000 219 18 . 4 35,001 - 45,000 232 19.5 45,001 - 55,000 239 20.1 55,001 - 65,000 158 13.3 Over 65,000 250 21. 0 Total 1,191 100.0% We received 1,191 responses on this question out of 1,30 6 questionnaires returned, an excellent response rate for a sensitive question. The median household income is slightly less than $45,000. 24 Resident Survey Summary The profile of the average Green Valley household is as follows: a. Lived in Green Valley less than 2 years, b. Works in Las Vegas, C. Couple with 2 children aged less than 12 years, d. Head of household is professionally or technically employed,' and e. Has a household income between $35,000 and $55,000 per year. Residents were generally positive to different aspects of the Green Valley community, but expressed a need for family and formal restaurants, recreation, and theaters. There was also a strong preference for adding clothing, book and major department stores. Day care facilities, bars, saloons, nightclubs and convenience stores are clearly not in demand. Since 94 percent of all respondents said they would choose Green Valley for their next home or apartment, further investment in the community is supported. The noted dissatisfactions are not a serious problem. Nevertheless, the concerns noted in this survey are an excellent basis for making corrections and improving marketing efforts in future development efforts. 25 The open-ended question "What do you like most about Greeen Valley?" gives the Impression that the overall ambience of the community makes residents very comfortable with their choice of location. Other Important factors affecting the decision to live in Green Valley generally were: type of housing available, quality of housing, and the planned community aspect. Home price, interestingly, was not a major detriment in making the housing choice. 26