Finding True Comfort At Woodside Crossing

Serene Setting Comes at a Modest Price

Carl Coates in his living room. "It is perfect for someone like me who wants to be somewhere that is quiet," he says. (By Jessica Meyers For The Washington Post)

The most difficult decision Carl Coates has to make these days is which direction he should walk.

He could stroll up the street to Wheaton and stop at the drug store for his prescriptions or saunter down to newly redeveloped downtown Silver Spring for a Red Lobster feast of shrimp and crab his wife likes so much. With a bus stop near his front door and the Forest Glen Metro station two blocks away, he might opt for a longer walk. Then again, remembering a refrigerator full of ribs and a comfortable couch, why go anywhere at all?

Coates, 68, lives at Woodside Crossing Apartment Homes, a 30-building garden-style community in Silver Spring, just off Georgia Avenue and the Capital Beltway. The complex, renovated in 2003, offers tax-credit-subsidized affordable rents for most of its 221 apartments.

Despite their transit-friendly location, the two- and three-storybuildings are clustered among mature, sweeping trees. Ghazala Osman, 43, a New York native who is studying for a degree in education, said that Woodside Crossing offers something else beyond its choice setting and enviable transportation options: a sense of community. "It reminds me of a college quad," she said. "I like the neighborhood because it doesn't feel like living in an apartment."

Evelyn Gonzalez, 20, also values the community feel. She likes the option of walking her daughter, 4, and son, 6 months, to the nearby mall, Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton, or taking them outside to the playground.

The playground, which is tucked inside the complex near picnic tables and a barbecue area, is "not near the [road] and it is safe," Gonzalez said. "I don't have to worry about the kids going into the street."

KSI Management's 2003 renovations included new windows, central air conditioning, wall-to-wall carpeting, ceramic flooring in the bathrooms and redesigned kitchens with dishwashers and oak cabinets. There are now four on-site laundry rooms.

The building's financing includes tax credits designed to provide affordable housing. About 90 percent of the units are covered by this program, which carries income restrictions. The remaining units are rented at market rates, with no income restrictions.

The large windows in Osman's apartment, some of which face the playground, provide ample light and enough cross ventilation that she seldom uses her air conditioning in the summer. She admits the windows raise her heating bill in the winter, but believes that the window in the bathroom makes the higher payment a worthwhile sacrifice.

Even with modern appliances such as a full-size refrigerator, Osman thinks the rooms stay true to their original design. "They kept the personality of the old apartments," she said.

Some residents have been frustrated with instances of garbage surrounding a dumpster. Assistant property manager Katherine Rios said that the staff is taking a more active approach with the people involved. She sent out flyers recently about recycling and provided a list of charities that take larger items such as used sofas. "We are getting to the point where we are addressing these individuals personally," she said.

Osman and other tenants said they appreciate the efficiency of the maintenance staff. She said she especially likes how quickly they have shoveled out after snow. "If I need something, I let them know and it gets done," she said.

Medin Trinchet, 60, goes so far as to term the office staff "perfect." Trinchet, a Metro bus operator who moved back to the apartments with his wife after the renovations were complete, also said he feels safe at Woodside Crossing, more than he can say about his previous home. "There were gunshots everyday. Here it's pretty mellow."

He said, "For the two of us, it's roomy, quiet. We have no problem sleeping at night. Ten o'clock comes and it's like the place is shut off. Ping!"

Coates, too, said he appreciates the tranquility. "It is perfect for someone like me who wants to be somewhere that is quiet. I love it. If I didn't, I would have gone somewhere else."