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Their Different Trails Led to 'a Little Gem'
Pam Helton, who bought in 2004, finds park advantages in her back yard.
(Photos By Tony Glaros For The Washington Post)
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The original section, he said, is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar renovation, featuring new lampposts, shutters and beefed-up landscaping.
One of the neighborhood's big attractions, he said, is Greenbelt Park. "It is a tremendous asset. A large number of pet owners use the park to walk their dogs. I used to ride my bike through there."
Because there is only one way in and one way out of Westchester Park, Pelham said, crime is limited to an occasional car theft. The area is patrolled by the Prince George's County police; there have been discussions about annexing the neighborhood into either the city of Greenbelt or Berwyn Heights, which would mean receiving police service from their municipal forces.
Later this year, the new home of the Friends Community School will open at Westchester Park. The private Quaker school, which enrolls students from kindergarten through eighth grade, is erecting an environmentally "green" building to replace its present home near downtown College Park, according to the school's Web site. The new structure faces south to draw on solar energy to help provide heat. Straw is being used in the outer walls to improve insulation.
Bundled up one recent day to fend off a cold wind, Beverly Robertson Johnson recalled that moving from her single-family house in Oxon Hill to Westchester Park was bittersweet. But she had to act, believing the neighborhood where she had lived for 27 years was deteriorating. "At 6 in the morning, I saw a strange lady in my yard," she remembered. "It scared the heck out of me. The tires on my car were also slashed."
Johnson, 64, a Treasury department retiree who bought a condo for $224,000, said her new neighbors "are so pleasant. The upkeep is immaculate, and it's convenient to everything."
She also likes having conscientious pet owners around. "I see cats on leashes. I haven't seen one stray. I can't believe it!"
While Westchester Park is close to the Beltway and to a major university, it remains "somewhat secluded," said Sharon McCraney, an agent with Long & Foster in College Park.
"It's all by itself back there. People are intrigued by that. It's a small community, reasonably priced. You can really see the pride of ownership with the upkeep. They clean it like there's no tomorrow."
Helton said, "The places here are bright, spacious and very well maintained. And oddly enough, I've never met anyone intimidating on the trail. On the contrary, I've had people help me when I'm lost or I'm low on water."
