Where to live in/around Chesterbrook (Arlington, McLean: new home, established neighborhood, construction)

[Southern_Transplant]

Help? Our house has sold and we need to find a home within 3 months. We're looking for a newer (1995+) house in a kid friendly community, preferrably on a reasonably flat lot. We have two children ages 5.75 and 2.75. We commute to DC so we would like to be able to do so within 20-30 mins.

Do any of you have any suggestions? I'm so stressed out. I see nice homes but it's hard to guess how many young children live nearby and how long it takes to commute to DC.

[claremarie]

If you mean the Chesterbrook area of McLean, it's filled with families and kids of all ages. Many of the homes were built before 1985, but there are several neighborhoods and enclaves within more established neighborhoods with newer homes. Franklin Park is just about the most attractive neighborhood in McLean (IMO), but because it's built along a stream valley, most of the streets and lots are very hilly, but there are some nice homes on the flats. Many of the homes are newer, or tear-downs of older homes, and priced well over $1 million.

There is a neighborhood off Linway Terrace called "Hunting Ridge," or something like that, with newer homes. Most will be over $1 million also.

Other neighborhoods are Chain Bridge Forest, which is built along the Arlington/Fairfax border, and Chesterbrook Woods.

Do any of these ring a bell? You didn't indicate a price range, so it's hard to make specific suggestions.

As for the commute time, you could get to DC in under 30 minutes if you left your house before 6:30 am. Otherwise, it's closer to 45 minutes, depending upon whether you're going to Georgetown, Capitol Hill, downtown, etc.

[Southern_Transplant]

Yes, these all are familiar. I have seen homes in Chesterbrook Woods and Franklin Park that are in my range (around 1.5 or 1.6 million max). I have also seen a few newer homes in the streets a little farther south near the powhatten and kirby rd intersection. Do you think I could make it from that intersection to 14th and L, NW within 30 minutes? From Chesterbrook Woods, do you think it will take 45 minutes if I leave after 7am? Do you know anything about the Elnido subdivision? Also, do you tend to have less of a neighborly feeling to the home if you have a new home in the midst of tear-down houses and that is not part of a subdivision?

These questions all go towards reaching our goal of getting a home where our children can make a lot of friends and increasing the amount time we have together in the evening.

Thanks for you help.

[claremarie]

Do you think I could make it from that intersection to 14th and L, NW within 30 minutes?

Not during regular commuting times, no.

From Chesterbrook Woods, do you think it will take 45 minutes if I leave after 7am?

It might. I don't commute downtown anymore, but there is a big construction project on the GW Parkway near 395, which will start creating backups as the work progresses. And once you get across the bridge to DC, it can take a long time just to go a few blocks.

I'm not that familiar with the El Nido neighborhood -- what streets does it include? Our neighborhood doesn't have any tear-downs (yet), so I don't have any first-hand experience with that particular issue, but my experience has been that kids will make friends with any other kids who live nearby. If you want the neighborhood feeling, I would focus more on the ease of walking around from one house to the other. Franklin Park, for example, for all its charms, does not lend itself to walking because of the narrow hilly streets and lots. Many McLean neighborhoods do not have sidewalks, as you probably know.
Where, exactly, are the newer homes near Powhatan? The only ones I've seen are on Kirby, which you want to avoid, since it is a very busy street.
If you need a good realtor, I can recommend someone. Just let me know.

[LauraH831]

That is a great area. I used to drive through it on my way home from work in Mclean. I watched many of the homes that went up in the late 90s and early 2000s being built. I'm sure you have probably already found something but if you have not, the Donaldson Run area of Arlington is close to there and you can actually get a newly built home for the 1 mil to 1.5 mil range and have a quick commute to downtown DC off the GW Pkwy.