Arts District Hyattsville offers townhouses that are attractive and affordable

While expecting their first child, Edgar and Marcia Garcia decided to sell their one-bedroom condominium in Arlington and move to a bigger place. They looked at houses in Northern Virginia, Montgomery County and even Columbia, Md., only to be faced with sticker shock. The prices were out of control, recalls Edgar Garcia, 35.

The couple eventually settled in the Arts District Hyattsville, a new community of homes, apartments and retail about two miles from the District in Prince Georges County. EYA completed the first part of the development in 2011 in an area of downtown Hyattsville west of Baltimore Avenue (Route 1).

Across the street on the east side of Route 1, Pulte is responsible for another 101 townhouses and has already sold 70 of them. Next to them, EYA is building 61 additional townhouses, with 14 remaining to be sold.

The Arts District is still up-and- coming, and prices arent as expensive as in more established neighborhoods, says Garcia, who paid $364,000 for a three- bedroom Pulte townhouse. We like being able to walk to shops and the supermarket.

Contemporary design: The four-level Pulte townhouses are sheathed in a variety of materials, including brick and HardiePanel siding, concrete block and corrugated metal. The EYA homes are more streamlined in their exteriors of brick and cement board.

Both sets of townhouses have similar floor plans. At street level, the homes typically open to a foyer or a study at the front and a one- or two-car garage entered from the back. The second floor is a big open space combining living and dining areas and kitchen.

The kitchen incorporates a pantry and a powder room. In one model home, the tiny bathroom was awkwardly placed between the refrigerator and a staircase.

Three or four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, occupy the third and fourth floors. Laundry and linen closets are located off the third-level hallway.

Most of the houses have tiny front yards but offer a rooftop terrace big enough for an L-shaped sofa or a dining table. This outdoor space, however, extends from the top-level bedroom, so it isnt convenient for grilling or dining near the kitchen. Some models offer the option of a rear deck off the kitchen.

As part of the base package, buyers of the EYA homes get granite kitchen countertops, Energy Star casement windows and nine-foot ceilings.

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Arts District Hyattsville offers townhouses that are attractive and affordable