THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 30, 1995 TAG: 9512280816
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LOUKIA LOUKA, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
Looking at a map of Redwood Farm, you'd think there's no way to get lost back there. Just off Little Neck Road in Virginia Beach, the community is clearly marked by a sign leading onto Redwood Farm Drive, a street that runs the length of the neighborhood.
The wide drive smoothly connects to a series of cul-de-sacs, so there are no worries about getting around. No meandering, twisting roads. No way you can end up in another neighborhood.
So how can you get lost? Well, you won't, but some of the houses are hard to see on thickly wooded lots, the trees building a sturdy fortress of privacy for residents.
That country living existed when Redwood Farm was started, and 20 years into the community's life, the large, treed lots remain a primary attraction. Richard Wigent, who has lived in Redwood Farm since the mid-1970s, said another bonus is having a community that borders the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River - especially during those wilting days of summer.
``In the summer, when it's hotter than the devil out here, we're about 10 degrees cooler,'' Wigent said.
Plat maps show the land was recorded as a subdivision in 1974. Today, Redwood Farm enjoys a reputation as one of a series of popular communities dotting the Little Neck Road corridor. Specifically, Redwood Farm is situated east of the Lynnhaven River, west of Little Neck Road, north of Michaelwood, and south of Little Neck Cove.
Redwood Farm homes straddle upper-middle to upscale income, depending on how close they are to the river. A random survey of 18 homes found assessments ranging from $190,491 to $572,328. The average assessment of these 18 homes is $303,547, based on information from the city real estate assessor's office.
In 1979 and again in 1983, Redwood Farm was profiled in ``The Selling Price,'' the forerunner to the current weekly neighborhood reviews seen in Real Estate Weekly. To further show how homes have appreciated, in the 1983 article, a house was mentioned as having sold for $86,900 in 1974 and for $158,000 in 1983.
Architectural styles range from contemporary looks, traditional brick ranchers and stylish Dutch Colonial. Bay windows and lattice work on window panes add flair. Residents take care of their yards and add personalized touches to their homes. Ivy-covered mailboxes and novelty flags are some examples of this.
Driving through the community, it feels like country living is at hand, even though Virginia Beach Boulevard and city life are just down Little Neck Road. Lots are filled with trees, healthy grass, and colorful, creative flowerbeds. Some residents have other uses for their yards, like vegetable gardens, swimming pools or tennis courts, which makes mowing the grass less time-consuming.
Redwood Farm has a civic league, but it isn't as active as it was in previous years, residents said. Even though it is dormant, the group hasn't dissolved. ``I believe if there was a problem out here, it would get active in a hurry,'' Wigent said.
Diane Murdock said the community is a good mix of people - from young families to older couples whose children have grown up. Because every street except Redwood Farm Drive is a dead end, the community is quiet, with the only traffic being residents or people visiting them.
Before moving into Redwood Farm, Murdock said she and her husband, Stephen, looked at probably 100 homes. Of their choice, she said ``we knew it was right for us. We have the privacy we want. We are on the water,'' she said.
Robin Siegel, a resident of Redwood Farm for 10 years, discovered the community after visiting her brother-in-law and his wife, who already lived there. ``We used to visit them when they were building their house here,'' Siegel said. The large lots, the subdivision's uncrowded feeling and that Redwood children are assigned to Kingston Elementary School also sold Siegel and her husband, Gary, on moving there.
Siegel serves as the community's civic league president and though it is a low-key group, they try to get together during the Christmas holiday season and in the past, have made donations to charity. Right now, Siegel said, residents seem to be satisfied with conditions in the subdivision.
There is no city water or sewer system in Redwood Farm - residents use wells for water and septic tanks to discard waste. But change is coming. In early 1997, construction is expected to begin on a water project that eventually - once the water moratorium is lifted - will connect Redwood Farm residents to city water.
Also, construction to connect the community to sewers is scheduled to begin after 2000, said John McDonald, a civil engineer for the city. ILLUSTRATION: GARY C. KNAPP
[Color Photos]
Robin Siegel likes the fact that her children, Corey, 9, and ,Marni,
6, can attend Kingston Elementary School nearby.
Richard and Joyce Wigent and granddaughter Carlee Reynolds.
Map
AT A GLANCE
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Public schools: Kingston Elementary, Lynnhaven Middle School and
First Colonial High School.
Shopping: There are a number of shopping centers along Virginia
Beach Boulevard. Pembroke Mall is a 10-minute drive and Lynnhaven
Mall is 15 minutes away.
Recreation: Some residents boat on the Lynnhaven River. Area
community leagues offer a variety of recreational activities. A city
recreation center at Great Neck has a fitness room, gym, weight room
and other athletic areas. An indoor pool will reopen after the
first of the year. Nearby, Great Neck Park has ball fields and
picnic areas. A recreation center at Bow Creek also is easily
accessible.
FOR SALE
At 1265 Southfield Place, a brick ranch with a large family room and
kitchen was selling for $249,000.
At 1248 Southfield Place, a four-bedroom brick ranch on a large
tree-filled lot was selling for $249,500.
At 1253 Tweedbrook Place, a Colonial-style home with five bedrooms
was being sold for $289,900. The home is on a large, wooded lot and
has an in-ground pool.
SOLD
At 1240 Southfield Place, a four-bedroom home sold for $208,500 in
January 1994. The house was built in 1977.
At 1288 Southfield Place, a four-bedroom home built in 1980 sold for
$379,000 in March 1994.
by CNB