Dreamland Villa - MESA, AZ 

Dreamland Villa is the first of four Retirement Communities in Mesa, Arizona by Farnsworth Development. The other three are: SUNLAND VILLAGE, SUNLAND VILLAGE EAST, and the newest, SUNLAND SPRINGS VILLAGE.  Dreamland Villa covers 800 acres with approximately 3,000 homes.

The concept of Dreamland Villa, a community exclusively for persons 55 years of age and over, was inspired by the creation of Youngstown, Arizona, in the 1950's. Joe and Ross Farnsworth began Dreamland Villa's first section with 200 acres of land near the corner of Main and Higley. Ground was broken for Dreamland Villa in 1958 with the grand opening in January, 1959. Ultimately, Dreamland Villa grew to become a retirement community made up of eighteen sections and nearly five thousand individuals. Construction continued until the early 70's on the later sections.

When Dreamland Villa was built, it was located in the county some distance from the borders of the City of Mesa. To this day, even though Mesa has experienced tremendous growth, Dreamland Villa remains a county island completely surrounded by the City of Mesa.

The Dreamland Villa newspaper, the Citizen, was first published in the early 1960's. An annual directory of Dreamland residents is distributed to all residents the first part of each year.

The facilities of the Club consist of two separate complexes:

The Read Hall complex houses most of the club's indoor activities, the business office, the shuffleboard and croquet courts, the exercise room, two pools and a spa, and card rooms, the computer club, a meeting room that will accommodate up to 150 persons, and John's Villa Restaurant. 

The Farnsworth Hall complex includes a large auditorium with a full stage and is used for larger events such as the Arts and Craft Shows, the Art Show, Potluck Dinners, and is home to the Farnsworth Hall Community Theatre which promotes dances and various types of entertainment programs including musical groups, concerts, and plays. Farnsworth Hall also has available County certified kitchen facilities. This complex also has the bocce ball and horseshoe courts and the band shell used to present outdoor entertainment programs.

Both complexes offer swimming and hot tub facilities.

When Dreamland Villa was initially conceived, the concept of planned communities was yet to be developed, so membership in the Community Club was voluntary and there was no formal Homeowners Association or HOA dues. However, in 2002, a majority of the property owners within Dreamland Villa signed a petition to formally adopt the planned community concept, and a divisive battle ensued between those that supported a new HOA concept and those that did not want to be forced into an HOA that was not in place when they purchased their property.

The club's board proceeded with recording new deed restrictions requiring all homeowners to pay annual assessments and special assessments for "recreation, health, safety and maintenance." Several years after that, the club began placing liens on the properties of people who refused to pay and then filed lawsuits to collect.

The bitter lawsuit raged for seven years and was finally decided in favor of the anti-HOA homeowners in March 2010 by the Arizona Court of Appeals. A three-judge appellate court panel unanimously reversed a Maricopa County Superior Court ruling and awarded attorneys fees to the residents who opposed the HOA. The appellate court ruled that the original property declarations did not allow residents to be forced into club membership. They also did not allow the board to assess fees and place property liens on homeowners who refused to pay "for an association they did not seek."

The board plans an appeal to the state Supreme Court, however, Arizona's highest court grants only about 3 percent of all petitions for review filed each year.

Since the ruling, some residents continue to go out of their way to avoid one another, and the community remains deeply divided.

Membership in the Community Club is $92 per person per year, and according to the most recent court ruling, remains optional.

Typical Dreamland Villa Homes for Sale

Dreamland Villa Golf & HOA Information

• Dreamland Villa Golf Course
• Dreamland Villa HOA