Catherine and Carl Weber ended up in Odenton's Piney Orchard neighborhood two years ago almost by accident.
They had been looking to downsize from their single-family Dickeyville home in Baltimore and were becoming increasingly frustrated in their real estate search in Catonsville, which was near their jobs.
As they looked in Piney Orchard, the Webers found a third-floor condominium with a loft and a unique environmental oasis in an otherwise typically suburban expanse. It was a 100-acre nature preserve that is home to a wealth of plant and animal life and is accessible by miles of walking and bike paths.
The Webers were hooked, even though, before that day, "I didn't even really know where Odenton was," Catherine Weber said.
The Anne Arundel County suburb, sandwiched between Crofton and Fort Meade, is becoming better and better known. And Piney Orchard, a 12-year-old community, is a big reason why. And while typical in several respects with a mixed housing stock of apartments, condos, town houses and single-family homes - Piney Orchard's amenities are atypical in their quality, residents, real estate agents and builders say.
That and the community's location, within manageable commuting distance of Baltimore, Washington, Annapolis and Columbia, are the prime factors attracting buyers to Piney Orchard.
"People love it," said Lynn Peck-Collins, an agent with ReMax Legend in Odenton. "Sales are phenomenal, beyond what anybody ever could have predicted. Values have really soared the last couple of years."
Piney Orchard's rather humble beginnings are painted by tree-lined streets that highlight the 32 carefully planned neighborhoods. The village center has an anchor grocery store and other merchants.
Residents have access to two outdoor pools and an indoor pool (an Olympic-size outdoor pool should be finished next summer). The area also has a community center, a fitness center and privately owned tennis courts and an ice skating rink.
Residents pay annual fees of $200 or more, depending on the assessed value of their home, and get access to the pools and community and fitness centers. The Odenton MARC commuter station is minutes away.
The Webers bought their condominium for about $165,000; today some are selling for more than $200,000.
The land where the neighborhoods sit was bought during the 1950s by the Winer family, owners of a successful Odenton-based manufacturing company.
