THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 27, 1995 TAG: 9505250363
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AT HOME
SOURCE: BY JANET DUNPHY, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Not too many neighborhoods have two distinctive landmarks within striking distance. Linkhorn Park near the Virginia Beach oceanfront is located behind the stately Cavalier hotel and amidst the rolling greens of the Princess Anne Country Club golf course.
Linkhorn Park has about 200 homes and its setting is almost reminiscent of a New England town with residential roads meandering up and down hills - yes, hills - and around creeks with overhanging trees. A driver can also catch a glimpse of Linkhorn Bay at the west end of the neighborhood.
The city real estate assessor combines Linkhorn Bay with adjacent Bay Colony because the houses are the same age and quality, says appraiser Tom Vitz. Appraisals range from $180,000 to $1 million, Vitz says, with a few exceptions.
Most of the houses date to the 1930s and 1940s but a handful were build in the 1920s. Linkhorn Park is bounded by the bay and Holly Road, which forks into Cavalier Drive and ends at the bay.
Signs along Linkhorn Park's streets tell strangers that ``members only'' are allowed on the golf course, but no signs warn motorists about the ducks waddling across and alongside the roads.
``It's the only neighborhood we would buy in because I wanted to be able to walk to the beach and my husband wanted a big lot,'' says Carol Simons, a real estate agent who has lived in Linkhorn Park for 15 years. Zoning requires the lots to be at least one acre, she says.
``When we first bought in here, it was almost all original owners, but now it's a real mix,'' Simons says. ``Younger couples are coming in and buying and redoing everything.''
The Linkhorn Park Garden Club has been active for more than 20 years. However, the civic group is not currently active, Simons says.
The homes in Linkhorn Park are a mix of one and two stories. Many have two bedrooms but even those sell for several hundred-thousand dollars because the property is so valuable. There are also numerous bungalow-style homes that were originally used for summer vacationers.
Sylvia Wilson of Seattle has visited her husband's grandmother in Linkhorn Park several times, most recently to help her move out. She says the 2,200-square-foot, two-bedroom home on a point off Day Drive will rent for about $2,000 per month.
Some homes are barely visible through the trees. Like many Virginia Beach neighborhoods, Linkhorn Park has its share of mini-vans, backyard forts, decoration flags and remodeling signs. There are also tennis courts, swimming pools, guest houses and at least one white stretch limousine.
Pat Coppola and her husband bought in Linkhorn Park 1 1/2 years ago after living overseas. ``It's really nice to live so close to the ocean and the Boardwalk,'' she says. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
BILL TIERNAN/Staff
Linkhorn Park, with its winding roads and dune-like hills, resembles
a well-scrubbed New England neighborhood.
If you want to live here, you had better develop an affinity for
golf.
AT A GLANCE
Map
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB