Need info on Chatham Square and Potomac Green in Alexandria, VA (Arlington: real estate, income)

[Henry's Mom]

We are looking to purchase a townhouse in Alexandria, Va. Will be meeting with a realtor in a few weeks. We are coming from CT and are attracted to Alexandria. We also realize the price issues..in the meantime, the realtor has forwarded to us a few selections from Chatham Square and Potomac Green communities. Can anyone comment on these? Would prefer to hear from someone who actually lives in either community, but any info that anyone has will be helpful. Thanks

[Zack]

I don't live in either development, but I did previously live very close to there. Chatham Square is a mixed income community, i.e. expensive townhomes mixed in with public housing. Potomac Greens I believe is a few blocks north of there and a nicer neighborhood, but runs right next to the train lines and is separated from Old Town from a very large public housing project. That area around the projects tends to have much higher crime rates (murders, muggings, drug dealing) than the rest of the city, but not quite as high as some areas of DC.

The City of Alexandria basically put all it's public housing in two locations of north Old Town meaning you get a number of the problems that coincide with concentrated poverty. The city council also has no intention of changing that in the near term.

If you have children and want to use public schools, both Arlington and Fairfax are much better. In fact Forbes magazine ranked Alexandria the worst public school for value, even worse than DC.

If it is possible I would recommend renting for a few months and getting a feel for the different areas rather than just taking the word of a Realtor. Realtors have a number of legal obligations whereby they can't tell you information about neighborhoods that you might want to know. It would be better to research the areas first and then buy, rather than regretting it later.

[Henry's Mom]

thank you so much. I was afraid that just based on what I could google about both Chatham Square and Potomac Greens would turn out to be just what you stated. I am not about to pay the kind of money that these properties are listed for only to find out that there is a crime, drug, etc problem.

[Zack]

If you really have your heart set on Old Town Alexandria, you should be able to find something else that isn't in those crime hot spots. Since you appear to have a good amount to spend based on the subdivisions you are looking at here are some recommendations. Look south of King St or close to it east of west st; work your way out along King St to the west of Old; work your way up CommonWealth and Russell; look around Mt Vernon Ave in the Del Ray area.

Though Old Town is a nice area for a night out, I don't find it to be the most area as compared to the neighborhoods in Arlington. That area of the city seems commercially built more to serve the tourists than for residents, i.e. large number of antique stores, cliche restaurants, free bus service, etc. The good thing is that parking in Old Town is easy and usually free or inexpensive so visiting is easy.

One other thing that you should very carefully consider in that area is flooding. During hurricane Isabel most of that area was underwater and the area also flooded heavily a couple years back during a major rainfall we had.

[rose421]

On the flip side regarding the Potomac Green neighborhood and area...it is a very nice place to live...Potomac Green is a brand new development but the ths were built to resemble many of the historical houses in the area, there are some older ths to choose from in the area. Commuting to DC is a breeze if that is important. Additionally, there is a small corner at the entrance to Potomac Green that has a bakery and dessert bar called Buzz (great cupcakes) and very tasty restaurant, Rustico as well as some small boutiques and a gourmet Russian market. I am in the area frequently visiting friends during the day and at night...I never feel unsafe. All of Old Town and the metro area neighborhoods have some issues with crime. A few friends (single and couples with children) live in those developments and they love the area -very easy access to DC, airport, shopping, the bike trail, arlington & pentagon city and more. Renting sounds like a great idea to get familiar with the neighborhoods.

As mentioned earlier, things to consider are metro/train tracks ( from many of the ths these are not visible) and National airport, the planes make more noise than the trains and most of the Alexandria area has flights going overhead. Garden style public housing is nearby - a similar distance from the Del Rey and Mt Vernon Ave areas mentioned and other Old Town communities.

Regarding schools, Alexandria City Public School system is much smaller than the surrounding areas' systems, and TC Williams HS is well regarded by many. Also, there are several private schools in the immediate area that are popular with Alexandria and surrounding counties' residents.

As mentioned in the previous post, the Russell Road area is very nice, much more of a residential feel. If you prefer the ths and Old Town location, the Potomac Green area is a nice option. Also, Old Town offers some of the best restaurants in the area, Restaurant Eve, Majestic Cafe, Indigo Landing, Southside 815 and more.

[Henry's Mom]

thanks so much. We are not married to Old Town Alexandria..just think it is a nice place. We have no more need of the public schools; however, I am a teacher and understand that a positive reputation for the local schools adds to the real estate values. One of our issues is a 2 car garage,..a must...and a dry basement. Not having those is a big downer. Been there and done that in earlier lives..will not be without either again. Zack suggested Arlington ..will look there too. We want to be within the Beltway..have grown son who lives in Glover Park.

[scottandpaula]

We just moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Alexandria and looked at both Chatham Square and Potomac Greens. We just purchased a townhome in Potomac Greens and love it. We feel very safe there and love the convenience. Highly recommend it!

[Henry's Mom]

Hello scottandpaula- we did look in Potomac Greens anyway..does the nearness of the train tracks bother you? Do you have children? Do you find people friendly there? Is there a sense of community?

[pcity]

As a frequent late-night Buzz/Rustico patron, I'd say Potomac Greens seems like a nice place. I've never seen any unsavory-looking characters roaming around, and I've never felt the least bit unsafe walking back to the car at night. It seems like that area is isolated from the public housing projects a bit.

[Jim On the Potomac]

Don't let Zack put you off Potomac Greens. His comments are askew with errors and do not reflect the real character or description of the neighborhood. If you really want to get an opinion of Potomac Greens, just drive over sometime, walk around and talk to the folks who live there.

I've lived in Potomac Greens since Sept 2006 and could not be more pleased. I'm 15 minutes from work (door to desk on Mass. Ave in DC), 5 minutes from the bike path on the GW Parkway, 8 minutes from Old Town proper. If I want to go to a Nats Game, the Braddock Street Metro is less than a 15 minute walk or I can catch the "City Dash" and be there even quicker.

My wife flies a lot and when she lands, as the plane turns off the runway, she calls me on her cell and I give her a "Princess Pickup" by the time she can get to the curb.

Planes, buses, metro, trains, and automobiles are all a part of the the equations but, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst and 6 being unacceptable); the annoyance level is a 2. Do you like nature? You have it at Potomac Greens. I've seen fox, eagles’ owls, beavers, ducks and deer. Sailing, 5 minutes away or walk it in 10 (You can also see the 4th of July DC fireworks from the Marina as well). Crime, yea there was a mugging outside of Rustico once but, that was late at night (12:15) with someone walking home. We do live in a city. If you want to be in a crimeless neighborhood, try Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

The homes there are solidly built with 10 foot ceilings. The builders have been very responsive our needs. No problems with parking either. Try saying the same over on Lee Street in Old Town. The Home Owners Associations pays for the grass to be cut and I don't rake leaves or shovel snow. Unfortunately, I still have to pick up the dog crap and take out my own trash, but such is life.

I have to go now but, like I said in the beginning, just drop by the Potomac Greens neighborhood and talk to the people who live there.