Woodcreek Farms (Columbia: to rent, houses, neighborhood)

[Scots]

Anyone have any opinions about this area? Seems nice, not too far from downtown (maybe 20-25 min?), quiet, nice golf course. Worth thinking about as a place to live?

[Brandon Hoffman]

It's a nice neighborhood.

[Chi2Midlands]

Overall a wonderfull neighborhood, especially if you want a nice upscale golf course community. There are a few caveats I would point out, though:

(1) A large new Verizon Call Center is being built right on the edge of the community, with residents complaining. Normally I'm not automatically sympathetic to NIMBY compaints, but I drove past this neighborhood and the Verizon construction this morning - the site is indeed almost in a couple of people's back yards. Could affect the quality of life of at least those adjacent homes and property values.

(2) This is a fairly expensive neighborhood by Columbia standards, although generally I would say you get what you pay for (in a good way). The problems is that in today's struggling housing market (in in Columbia's otherwise relatively stable one), especially newer high-end construction on the metro's fringes, resale may be challenging. If this is your last home you'll ever buy (or at least keep it for 10 years or so), or a retirement home, then it may not matter. I say this because Woodcreek is almost exclusively filled with homes in the $400k - $1 million+ range, and I've heard from realtor friends that this is the price range where it's been very difficult to sell, and I don't know if that'll change in the near future. On the other hand, if you're looking to rent a nice upscale home, you could really find a deal there.

(3) Normally such high-end developments don't have large numbers of elementary-school-aged children attending local public schools, so this may not matter to most considering Woodcreek, but if you did have younger children and planned on sending them to public schools, there may be better options than Woodcreek. While Richland 2 schools are pretty good overall, Crickentree and Longcreek may be other golf course communities in the near vicinity to consider, which are zoned for better-rated public elementary schools. If a golf course isn't a must, you have other options like Lake Carolina and Woodlake that are also zoned for good schools. On the other hand, one could always apply for a magnet school program outside the zoned school. I don't want to knock on any particular schools, but if it is a priority, there are other options to consider.

(4) I would probably stretch your commute to downtown to probably 30-35 minutes at least, particularly during rush hour. Interstate 20 can get congested, particularly the stretch with only 2 lanes on each side before you hit Interstate 77. Don't forget that sometimes it can take some time just to get out of your neighborhood, and traffic on local feeder roads (especially if parents are dropping off kids at school along those roads) can be a factor, too.

Sorry for the longish post - just thought I'd point it out. The short answer is, if it's purely for the upscale suburban golf course lifestyle, than it's a very good neighborhood. If local public elementary schools or near-term investment/resale value isn't an issue, then the only thing to look out for is to avoid being near that Verizon call center.

[davey123]

WoodCreek Farms is a very nice area. (I actually think that it's one of the nicest ones that I've seen in this metropolitan area.) It has beautiful homes and is obviously very upscale. It also seems to be a nice family community.

The location of the Verizon Center is quite interesting. However, almost all of the WoodCreek Farms community is not visible from Spears Creek Church Rd. And, since the Verizon Center is being built right off of Spears Creek Church Rd, I do not think that it will be visible to the houses of most of the residents in that community. It should, however, create nightmares for the traffic flow on Spears Creek Church Rd. I would have thought the city would force Verizon to build another lane. Or, at least that would have made sense.

I live very close to that area. In the busiest rush time it takes 25 mins to get to the downtown. And, when traffic is light, you can do it in 15 mins. (I drive it every day.)

[Scots]

Thanks for all these thoughts. We don't have children so schools aren't an issue for us, though they could be for resale I suppose. On the other hand, people who can afford these houses may be like us and be beyond school-age children. As for resale, we'd be buying for the relatively long term so I'd hope that wouldn't be an issue.

I think the area we're looking in is well away from the Verizon Center. At least, I didn't see it when we were looking around. Where is it exactly?

The golf course(s), tennis courts, and peacefulness are really appealing, as is the proximity of downtown and the relatively easy commute.

[Chi2Midlands]

Originally Posted by Scots

I think the area we're looking in is well away from the Verizon Center. At least, I didn't see it when we were looking around. Where is it exactly?

It's on Spears Creek Church Road across the street from Pontiac Elementary School. You're right that most of the development is far enough away that it isn't an issue. However, while I was driving down Spears Creek, I noticed the only thing separating a couple of houses' back yards from the construction site was a thin layer of pine trees and what looked like an earthen berm. I could definitely clearly see the roof, second floor, and part of the first floor of a couple houses. They are not that close to the new Verizon building itself but they are clearly right up against the disturbed land area boundary. I suppose if you didn't see this area (I believe it's the lower end of Woodcreek Ridge Road), you may not have felt any impact.

All else being equal, it seems for your needs Woodcreek Farms could work well for you. I just wanted to point out the Verizon issue has been a point of contention, at least for the adjacent neighbors.