THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 4, 1995 TAG: 9503040649
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRENDA HARRIS, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
Brigadoon takes its name from the imaginary Scottish Highlands village portrayed in a 1955 musical by that name. In that Brigadoon, the inhabitants awaken for just one day every 100 years.
The streets in the Virginia Beach subdivision called Brigadoon, however, bustle with activity every day.
This is a family neighborhood, a place where joggers, walkers and bicyclists are abundant. Canals wind through the area, providing fish for the children to catch. Three parks have been established within the area.
Brigadoon is bordered by the Lake Christopher subdivision on the north, Charlestown Lakes on the south, Stumpy Lake on the east and Kempsville Road on the west. The neighborhood comprises 1,400 homes in a variety of styles built in several sections over 20 years.
Many streets have Scottish names, such as MacGregory Street, Bagpipers Land and Angus Drive.
Unlike the stone cottages in the mythical Brigadoon, most of the real homes are traditional two-stories and ranches, with an occasional contemporary or cedar-sided house. The new sections, Brigadoon Pines and Brigadoon Woods, contain mostly vinyl-sided Colonials.
Many of the lots have trees and several back up to woods or canals, giving a spacious feel to the community.
Michele Giardina, a fourth-grade teacher, lives with her children, Michael, 12, and Nicole, 9, in a four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath, 2,400-square-foot Colonial on Whitlow Street in Brigadoon Pines. She moved there in 1988 after a divorce.
``I looked around in other neighborhoods, even other cities,'' she says. ``I just kept coming back to Brigadoon. I finally bought a house I'd admired for years because of its landscaping and well-kept appearance.
``We're tucked in behind the woods here and I have a real feeling of security. The families on this court are friendly. The neighbors make it a point to stay in touch with each other. We have a court picnic every Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.''
Echoing Giardina's feeling of safety, Irvin Beard, the Brigadoon Civic League's president, says the area has an extremely low crime level. He says the Neighborhood Watch program has been instituted on a block-by-block basis throughout the subdivision.
A positive result of the program is that more residents are getting acquainted. ``A community feeling is built block by block,'' Beard says. ``A good subdivision is made up of many good blocks.''
The Civic League's primary goal is education. It publishes a bimonthly newsletter and holds meetings at Tallwood High School, where guest speakers are often featured. The league sponsors community yard sales every spring and fall. It also provides two $500 scholarships to graduates of Tallwood High. The revenue from the $8 annual dues goes toward neighborhood beautification projects.
Beard is a fifth-grade teacher and is retired from the Navy. His wife, Rosemary, a third-grade teacher, live in a four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath brick ranch on Doon Street with children Amy and Eric and grandson Caleb. The moved there in 1985.
``I flew in from Sicily for a weekend to house-hunt,'' Irvin Beard says. ``I told the Realtor I wanted an area centrally located to military facilities, shopping areas and good schools. I also wanted an established area.''
Brigadoon fit the bill. The family has added a swimming pool and hasn't wanted to move anywhere else since then.
The neighborhood's location off Kempsville Road just south of Indian River Road is hard to beat for convenience. Brigadoon's proximity to Interstate 64 offers quick access to most areas of Hampton Roads. Its convenient location in Kempsville Borough assures residents of an abundance of shopping centers and recreational areas just minutes away.
Two elementary schools serve Brigadoon, with children on the north side of Albright Drive attending Indian Lakes and pupils on the south side assigned to Centerville. All neighborhood children are zoned for Brandon Middle School and Tallwood High.
Alan Price, a Realtor with Womble Realty, has lived in Brigadoon for 12 years, seven of them in his current 2,900-square-foot, four-bedroom Colonial on Whitlow Street. He sells a lot of homes in Brigadoon.
Many homeowners, he says, are in their mid-30s with school-age children. He estimates that 20 to 25 percent of the area is military. When the local Navy families receive orders, according to Price, they rent their houses rather than sell, figuring they'll move back in when they return to Hampton Roads.
In the imaginary Brigadoon in the Scottish Highlands, no resident could leave or the village would disappear forever. In modern-day Brigadoon, residents cite different reasons for not moving: convenient location, good schools and friendliness.
``It's the kind of place where people honk their horns and wave when they see you,'' Alan Price says. ``I grew up a military kid, and Brigadoon reminds me of a military neighborhood. It's that friendly.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
GARY C. KNAPP
Fourth-grade teacher Michele Giardina moved into Brigadoon with
12-year-old Michael and 9-year-old Nicole in 1988.
Many Navy families hold onto their homes, renting them out till they
return.
AT A GLANCE
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
FOR SALE
SOLD
[The text of the graphic was not available. Please see microfilm for
a complete copy.]
by CNB