Brambleton Questions (Arlington, Alexandria, Reston: sales, apartment, renters)

[JD984]

Scran's effusive praise for Brambleton convinced me - a former urban development junkie - to drive out to Loudoun over the weekend to check it out. I thought it was very interesting to be driving in a wooded area and suddenly hit a densely populated development with a nice mix of housing styles, as well as a convenient town center and local schools within a short distance. I could also see why the housing mix is appealing to younger buyers - you could imagine starting out in an apartment or condo in Brambleton or the adjoining development, moving up to a starter home, and eventually buying a larger house, if one chose, while still keeping in touch with the same neighbors, not having to change schools, etc. Moreover, while the housing lots are probably smaller than my garden-loving spouse could ever tolerate, I can understand why planning types would view the layout as more efficient than the typical suburban area.

I have no plans to move there, so it's not like I'm going to research the place in too much detail. I am curious, however, as to:

1. Where do people who live in this development tend to work? Do they commute long distances or are there major employers nearby in Loudoun?

2. How bad is the traffic on Belmont Ridge getting out of the development at peak commuting times?

3. Do neighbors generally get along or is the density such that there are frequent arguments between neighbors about keeping the noise down, cleaning up trash, etc.?

I know we have some posters who live in this area, so maybe they can answer these questions. All in all, it was quite interesting to see one of these "new communities" taking shape.

[Ashburnite]

They work all over like any other suburb. With AOL downsizing there aren't really that many major employers in Loudoun anymore. Some medium ones, but not like AOL was 10 years ago.

I don't commute on Belmont Ridge to know exactly what it's like but I know it's pretty busy during prime times, partially because of the high school over there (Briar Woods) drawing students from the other developments along Belmont Ridge toward Route 7.

The arguments are about the same as anywhere but I know many Brambletonians consider their neighborhood to be a close-knit one.

[cdmurphy]

1. A lot of people who live here work in the Dulles Tech Corridor - anywhere from Ashburn (Verizon Business) to Tysons. My husband is in tech sales engineering; when he's not traveling for work, he telecommutes from home, or works out of his company's offices in Herndon or Alexandria (depending on clients). Telecommuting works great here because all of our houses were built with FiOS, plus there is free wireless at the Town Center. We have some Redskins that live here, as well as pilots/flight attendants/others who work out of Dulles. Some of the largest employers in Loudoun are the school system, county government, AOL, Inova Loudoun Hospital, Orbital, FAA, TSA, etc. I do know some people who work in DC, Arlington, and Alexandria, but I think many here work closer to home than that. (I commuted to DC for 2.5 years before I finally couldn't take it anymore.) I even have a few neighbors that work in Brambleton - some for builders, some at shops in the Town Center.

2. Traffic isn't too bad on Belmont Ridge; the bigger problem is the backup at the intersection of Loudoun County Parkway and Waxpool Road. A lot of people go that way to 28 to avoid paying the Greenway tolls.

3. We're in a single-family home, and we don't have any issues with our neighbors. There have been some problems in the townhouse sections with trash, parking, etc. There are more renters in the townhouses, and while not all renters are bad neighbors, some of them are less considerate than they would be if they owned their home. Some people complain about noise - people who let their dogs bark outside for hours, people mowing their lawn early on Sunday morning, etc. but overall I think residents get along pretty well.

One of the future phases of Brambleton (further south on Belmont Ridge) is an active adult community with its own shopping center, so you really could live here throughout your life.

[JD984]

Thanks for the info, Ashburnite and cdmurphy.

Have been reading a book that talks a bit about the history of Reston. Basically, it reports that Robert Simon had a 20th century utopia in mind when designing Reston in the mid-1960s. He hoped to inspire people of all races to live in a very modern development, and also to attract businesses to Reston. As with other utopian villages, however, Reston hit immediate roadblocks: the modern European architecture didn't attract many buyers at first; businesses weren't interested in a location so far (at the time) from DC; and African-Americans didn't want to relocate so far into the Virginia countryside. Reston only began to attract more residents and businesses after Simon had ceded control of Reston to Gulf Oil and new architects began to build housing more in line with what buyers wanted.

It's interesting to compare Simon's grand vision to a place like Brambleton, which to me seems more modest and realistic in its ambitions. The housing options aren't avant-garde by any stretch, but attuned to current tastes, yet there's still an obvious effort to appeal to households with different income levels, as well as those who are interested in living in a defined community, as opposed to a typical suburban sub-division.

[SKZ]

Anyone bought a condo in brambleton recently? If yes which one - Centex or Beazer and why?

What do people on this forum think about these condos? Is it a good investment?

Apart from the commute out of Ashburn (not taking the greenway), what are some other cons of living in the brambleton area?

Any pointers will be appreciated.

Thanks!