Recommend your Bethesda/Chevy Chase Neighborhood

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

- Neighborhood north of Jones Bridge between Conn. and Jones Mill (don't know the name)

This is my neighborhood: North Chevy Chase. We have a third of an acre but most lots are not that large. Some streets are very narrow although most have sidewalks.

I think Kenwood is one place that wouldn't have a lot of cars parked on the streets, because the original houses are large enough that people haven't converted their garages into living space. But it's impossible on your budget.

A bunch of my DCs' friends live over there. Unless you are on a main drag the two car passing thing is a problem in Kenwood. It's not that people have converted their garages. It's just that people have more cars these days. Same problem in other parts of the area, too. Some houses were superlux when built with a one car garage in the 1930s. Now families may have three or more cars.

[Anonymous]

I haven't been in all of these neighborhoods but agree that some streets in Somerset and CC section 3 are really narrow streets, and with cars parked down both sides of the street they are super congested. Much tighter than the side streets in my CC DC neighborhood, where cars can park on both sides of the street and 2 cars can still pass each other without issue. I definitely don't need Ashburn or completely carless streets, but that is a bit too claustrophobic, especially without sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

You might want to find a place with an HOA that prohibits people form parking too many cars on the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why are you so weird about the street thing? I can just imagine wanting a garage, though personally I couldn't care less. I cannot fathom why you would care whether other people use their garage or not. What is the deal? Are you such a crappy driver that you are scared of crashing into parked cars?

OP Here. Not sure why you care about what I'm looking for in a neighborhood, but it's not about driving through there. It's (a) a safety issue - safer for pedestrians and kids, especially if there aren't sidewalks, and (b) personal preference. When I look out my window, I like to see green yards and my neighbor's houses, not rows of cars. It looks more orderly.

Then don't try to live in a semi-urban setting. I'm not making a moral judgement, just being practical. Close-in, older neighborhoods tend to have small lots and limited parking. The result is that more people park on the street. Wide streets, garages and off-street parking are standard features the further out you go.

+1-- You're pretty much ruling out any CC neighborhood except Kenwood, which is beyond your budget, OP. I live in another part of CC and when I look out the window, I see cars, sure, but I also see my neighbor's houses -- great range of architecture, BTW, -- trees (truly glorious at this time of year), and lots of people walking -- with their dogs, with friends, to the Metro, to school, etc. We love this landscape, but to each her own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCC PP here again. You might want to check out the newer neighborhood at the southeast corner of Connecticut and Jones Bridge - I think it's called Chevy Chase Commons. The top of your budget should get you in there.

(OP) Thanks. We just looked at a house in your neighborhood for the first time this past weekend. We had never driven through there before, and I really liked it.

You mean the neighborhood with the wall around it and all the traffic? Different strokes . . .

[Anonymous]

OP, try the neighborhoods off of Bradley and Wilson, around the Landon School: Landon Woods and Pineview. The streets are fairly wide and depending on the street, many of the houses are new. These are neighborhoods that have been turning over in the last 10 years with lots of tear downs. Lot sizes vary with the smallest being around 7K Sq. ft. and the largest 13K sq. ft. That also determines the price of the house. We live in Pineview and there are lots of kids, great public schools, and lots of new houses. You may be able to get something new for 1.4 on a smaller lot, but the new house range is from maybe 1.4 to up to 2.2 million. Also, many people remodel the older houses and do additions.

We really like the neighborhood and with easy proximity to River Road, the commute into DC is not bad. There are lots of new houses going up right now, with two of the major builders being Castlewood and Cafritz.

The one thing I will say about the wide roads, I live on one of them and people tend to speed a lot. I actually like it when people park on the street because it forces people to slow down. When we (neighbors and I) know that our kids will be running from house to house, we will purposely park on the street to force the cars to slow down. Just another perspective. Most everyone has a garage though!

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, try the neighborhoods off of Bradley and Wilson, around the Landon School: Landon Woods and Pineview.

We live in this area and love it. Walking distance to Pyle and Whitman. 2-3 different Ride-On bus routes (29,32,36) to Bethesda Metro, some routes which run all day and not just during rush hour. Also in our part of it, there are sidewalks on all the streets = great for family walks.

Lots of tear downs, mostly by Castlewood, and they go in the $1.3-1.6 range depending on the size. They've got 4-5 of them in progress right now, but not sure if they're already sold or not.

[Anonymous]

Two Bethesda PPs - are there sidewalks in your neighborhoods? I thought those were developed in the era where sidewalks were often skipped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, try the neighborhoods off of Bradley and Wilson, around the Landon School: Landon Woods and Pineview. The streets are fairly wide and depending on the street, many of the houses are new. These are neighborhoods that have been turning over in the last 10 years with lots of tear downs. Lot sizes vary with the smallest being around 7K Sq. ft. and the largest 13K sq. ft. That also determines the price of the house. We live in Pineview and there are lots of kids, great public schools, and lots of new houses. You may be able to get something new for 1.4 on a smaller lot, but the new house range is from maybe 1.4 to up to 2.2 million. Also, many people remodel the older houses and do additions.

We really like the neighborhood and with easy proximity to River Road, the commute into DC is not bad. There are lots of new houses going up right now, with two of the major builders being Castlewood and Cafritz.

The one thing I will say about the wide roads, I live on one of them and people tend to speed a lot. I actually like it when people park on the street because it forces people to slow down. When we (neighbors and I) know that our kids will be running from house to house, we will purposely park on the street to force the cars to slow down. Just another perspective. Most everyone has a garage though!

Good luck.

Yeah, this is probably your best bet. The streets near Whitman high school are fairly wide, with driveways. East Bethesda, all of Chevy Chase, etc. have streets that are too narrow for you. I live in East Bethesda and recently went walking CC village and marveled at how much wider the streets were than where I live ... but definitely quite a few people were parking on the street, which is not what you're looking for.

[Anonymous]

What about the area north of East-West highway and just east of CT ave - behind the library? Seems like that might fit the bill.

But, also sounds like OP wants to live in McMansion land, so Chevy Chase Commons is probably the best bet.

[Anonymous]

One nice thing about trashy neighborhoods where trashy people park their cars in the trashy street is that you actually get to see your trashy neighbors and engage in very trashy conversations. It's nice to live in a friendly neighborhood, though, trashy, by your standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're looking to move and looking for suggestions. Criteria:

- Lot sizes in the 7,500 - 10,000 sq. ft. range so we can have a bit of a yard
- Streets - Prefer wider streets, at least wide enough for two cars to pass easily, prefer neighborhoods where people have garages and use them rather than park a bunch of cars on the street- Kids and kid-friendly (toddlers and young ES-age) - nearby park is a bonus
- Price - up to about $1.4mm if move-in ready, around $900,000 - $1.1mm if needs work

Bonus - (1) easy/direct commute to DC for work, (2) proximity to shopping, restaurants, etc.

We've considered:
- East Bethesda - I find most of the streets and lots to be claustrophobic - small lots, small streets
- Somerset and Chevy Chase West - not bad but expensive for what you get, some lots are pretty small
- Rollingwood - Not bad, maybe too far east for easy access to shopping, restaurants, etc? proximity to Candy Cane park is great.
- Neighborhood north of Jones Bridge between Conn. and Jones Mill (don't know the name)

thanks

Why are you so weird about the street thing? I can just imagine wanting a garage, though personally I couldn't care less. I cannot fathom why you would care whether other people use their garage or not. What is the deal? Are you such a crappy driver that you are scared of crashing into parked cars?

It looks trashy to park cars on the street. My mother in law also holds this belief.

My husband hates it too. We vetoed Somerset largely because of this.

I also prefer wider streets and garages. I grew up in a NJ suburb where most every house has a two car garage. I was surprised to find this is less common around here.

[Anonymous]

Hillmead in Bethesda fits most of your criteria. The neighborhood has very friendly people, lots of kids, lot sizes about 7000 sq ft and up, sidewalks on about half the streets, and most houses at least have driveways. There is a playground in the neighborhood, plus basketball court and tennis courts. There is a mix of new builds and older homes, so you should be able to find something within your budget quite easily. Good luck with your search!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCC PP here again. You might want to check out the newer neighborhood at the southeast corner of Connecticut and Jones Bridge - I think it's called Chevy Chase Commons. The top of your budget should get you in there.

(OP) Thanks. We just looked at a house in your neighborhood for the first time this past weekend. We had never driven through there before, and I really liked it.

You mean the neighborhood with the wall around it and all the traffic? Different strokes . . .

I think it is called CC Park, and i agree, yech. The lots are teensy, and houses are huge. And the lovely CCsupermarket across the street is going away one of these days- that area will be like Friendship Hts soon enough. (check out the county's Chevy Chase Lake sector plan.)

OP,ithinkNorth ChevyChase, depending on the street (some are wider than others)could work. But you'd be at the lowend of your preferred lot size. And high end of your budget. I forget your original parameters, butifiwere you, i'd also be watching south Kensington,RockCreekHills. It's just up the road from NCC,has suburban sized lots, and feeds into BCC schools. Your budget will go further there.

[Anonymous]

you might check out around wildwood, off of grosvenor lane. Some is 20814 and some 20817 (grosvenor is the divider). there is a lot of diversity and a lot of homes here, both 'fixer uppers' and brand new ones in your price range. Most streets are wide (some more than others). There is some street parking, but not on all the streets and nearly all of the newer homes have garages.