Grove Park Neighborhood

[garnetpalmetto]

Originally Posted by snapdragon12

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm interested in reading some more recent opinions about the Grove Park neighborhood in Durham. I drove through the Lakeside part today and it seemed pretty nice. I'm particularly interested in opinions on the following:

1) Is it safe to take walks in the neighborhood during the evening?
2) I noticed a public library is on the same road as some of the homes that are for sale. I'm a bit skeptical about living that close to a library. Thoughts? I ask only because I've been to a few libraries in other parts of the state and homeless people tended to hang out in and around the library a lot.
3) How is the commute to and from RTP (near Davis/54)? Leaving home around 8-8:15 and leaving work around 5-5:30.
4) If you could purchase a home in the neighborhood again, would you?
5) Any other opinions, good and bad?

I don't think you have much to worry about here. This may be true of library locations near a city's center or downtown, but in general, suburban branch libraries don't have this issue at all. Growing up in Columbia, SC I never saw this in the branch library we went to (the main branch downtown was another story) and living in Raleigh now I've never noticed it at the branch library nearest to us off of Falls.

[RubyDee]

I have lived in Grove Park for 6 years and I have never had a problem. My neighbors are nice and I feel safe. I walk in the neighborhood sometimes and there are always other people walking or jogging. I frequent the library as well and it is a nice library. I have never seen people hanging around unless they were going into the library. As the earlier poster said I think you see that more in the city areas.

[Runner13k]

Lived in Grove Park for 7 years and just moved in 2013. We loved our house but the neighborhood has declined a great deal. Many foreclosures and rental properties have created tenants that don't take care of the properties. HOA management changed at least 3 times while I lived there and was inconsistent.
As far as walking in the evening, I always felt somewhat safe but I have a dog. I was approached by bums on more than one occasion asking for money while walking on Linkside. In our 7 years we had our gas grill stolen, gas cans stolen, a car spray painted and egged, and a golf ball through the window. There seemed to be a lot of car break ins and vandalism too. There is a yahoo forum the residents created and you can see the recent post regarding crime activity. Solicitation is a problem as well.
The commute time is ok and usually took about 30 mins to get to RTP. Sherron Rd and Miami can be very congested.
I would not buy a home in GP if I had to do it over. The things I liked about the neighborhood were the pool, fitness center and the close proximity to Brier Creek. I would suggest really driving through the whole neighborhood and taking a very close look at the properties and the conditions. On a quick glance you will see some beautiful homes on the main parkway but view all sections especially toward the back end of Linkside. 2 more things to note: flooding is a problem in some parts (drive through after a rain and you won't believe the standing water all over that last for days) and you are not permitted to park on any of the streets. Most of the homes have small parking pads so something to keep in mind....

[Sarahf13]

I realize this is an older thread but we are looking at the neighborhood now (lakeside) and are wondering about safety, schools, and resale value/ease.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[mike052082]

Buy on Lakeside and you'll be fine.