In 1998, Bob Yeomans took a wrong turn out of Greenbriar Shopping Center and got lost in a strange neighborhood. He began to notice an abundance of large and mature trees lining the sidewalks, and as he looked around, he remembered his childhood village in Northamptonshire, England. He showed the enclave to his wife, who also fell in love with it. They waited for a house to open up.
“We found it purely by accident. The neighborhood had everything — a couple of parks, a pool, a community center, a brook that runs through the center of Rocky Run,” he said. “The trees reminded me of when I was a youngster in England.” Still a resident, Yeomans invests in commercial apartments around the United States and sells real estate for Samson Realty.
“It was meant to be,” he said.
Greenbriar was built in 1968 by Levitt and Sons — the firm that constructed planned communities, or “Levittowns,” in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The Virginia suburb’s 1,800 homes were built on a dairy farm in various styles including ramblers, split levels and Colonials. The models include the Essex, Georgetown, Cromwell, Briarwood, Nottingham, Jefferson, Norfolk, Cedarbrooke and Ashley. Greenbriar resident Herb Regensburg grew up in Levittown, N.Y., and now lives in an Ashley model — the same style of home he lived in as a child.
Greenbriar also has two elementary schools, a newspaper called the Greenbriar Flyer, a civic association and some very dedicated residents who have lived there since its inception.
“I remember pulling out onto Route 50 on my way into D.C. to work, and there were no other headlights,” said Emerson Cale, president of the civic association and 2009 Greenbriar Citizen of the Year. “There was no Chantilly High School. No churches.” Now, he pointed out, “we have our own sports program, concerts in the park and telephone directory.”
Retired from the Navy, Cale purchased his two-story Georgetown model in 1968 for $34,500. Today, prices range from $400,000 to $500,000.
Greenbriar is located just west of the intersection of Route 50 and Fairfax County Parkway. Close to Interstate 66, Fair Oaks Mall, Reston and Tysons Corner, the neighborhood provides quick access to major roadways in any direction. Residents live within walking distance of The Greenbriar Town Center, which features a Starbucks, a Bonefish Grill and a Kebab House.
Hidden from the suburban sprawl by large trees, Greenbriar residents take pride in preserving their tight-knit community.
“I’ve lived here for 40 years,” Cale said. “Now the next generation is coming back to live where they grew up.”
Home prices
June 2009
– Average sold price in the 22033 zip code: $424,000
– Average list price in the 22033 zip code: $448,000
– Average days on market for homes sold: 62
June 2008
– Average sold price in the 22033 zip code: $462,000
– Average list price in the 22033 zip code: $495,000
– Average days on market for homes sold: 67
