Park Berkshire Apartments, Forestville, Maryland (New Carrollton: apartment complex, lease, crime)

[gberchenko]

Can anyone here share any information about the community, especially in terms of safety and the crime issue? I am a graduate student at Howard University and lived in DC for 8 years, but almost never ventured into Forestville and know very little about it.

[dullnboring]

I can't comment on the particular apartment complex (I'd recommend checking http://www.apartmentratings.com) but by buddy lived for two years in Forestville and couldn't escape fast enough. His car was stolen once, broken into two other times and it wasn't uncommon to see smashed windows in the parking lot, someone attempted to break into his apartment once while he was home, his mailbox was broken into, there were drug dealers regularly in the parking lot, the cops were called every few nights, and he heard gunshots a handful of times. It's possible however that he just lived in a bad apartment complex. It should also be noted that while many communities like Forestville have some nice quiet tree-lined low-crime residential areas, much of the crime is concentrated in the apartment complexes. Forestville is not Congress Heights by any means, but in general, it's not a very nice or safe community. Another drawback is the relative lack of things to do in the community. Not much in the way of dining options or retail.

If you have a car, seeing as how you're already in D.C., I'd recommend taking a trip out to Forestville one day to check out the community and the apartment complex in particular, yourself, both at day and at night to see how you feel about it.

[Alanboy395]

i'm with dull and boring. any apt. inside the beltway in pg bordering SE DC is one to stay away from. if you want an affordable area with decent crime, New Carrollton and hyattsville proper are your best bets. sfh might be a little safer in that "shouting distance to SE" area.

[pwright1]

Please do not waste your time at Park Berkshire or anything else around there.

[RoadTripGurl]

No! Don't move there or anywhere near Forestville! I used to live there when i was coming up and it was horrible. it is still horrible. All you see is undesirables (as my mother says) walking around all over the place doing Lord knows what. PG County used to patrol the area regulary (still do???) and the dudes would be outside hitting a blunt and the cop would stop and talk, hi-five and crap. I saw a dude get shot up right in front of my building. If you want your sanity and to see your car outside in its parking space in the morning don't move there!!!!!!!!!!! you will see how it is in the summertime. What makes it so bad, we used to have a cop living in our building, and he broke his lease and moved! And bordering Suitland is no better. My sister car was stolen and broken into several times... My mothers car was also stolen when we lived in that area and vandalized. I couldn't get out of PG County fast enough!

V

[pwright1]

PG has pockets of nice areas but Park Bershire apts. is not one of them. Any of those 1960's garden style apartments spread over a couple of acres are the absolute worst places to live especially inside the beltway. I hate to say it but it's true. There's so many of them spread all over the area. They're just a haven for crime. I remember my days in Shadyside apts. in Suitland. Never again.

[Ex-Ithacan]

When I worked security at the nearby mall, I chased guys over to Park Berkshire (and Maryland Gardens-called something else now). Not a good area. There use to be some fairly hardcore gangsters in Forest Creek (behind PB). I'd think you should probably look elsewhere.

[gberchenko]

I should explain that I went overseas to conduct research in October 2006. I vacated my apartment at that time on Kennedy Street NW in DC. That area s not great either, had a lot of drug problems in 1999 when I moved in but has gotten better over the years. The reason I asked about Park Berkshire is they are among the cheapest apartments in Washington area now, housing has gotten a lot more expensive since the late 1990s, and they are always advertising vacancies in the Washington Post.

[rogerdoger]

OMG, you do not want to live in Park Berkshire or in Forestville for that matter. It is d a ghetto with so much crime. No where to eat or shop that is safe.