By Ann Cameron Siegal
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, September 29, 2007; T05

Despite its name, the Woods at Potomac Mills is not in the middle of the congested, bustling Prince William County shopping magnet.

The compact, no-frills garden apartment community is five miles from the Potomac Mills mall-- but it is indeed tucked behind a grove of trees. Even though it is just off Route 1, it is peaceful, and that is part of what attracts tenants.

Sadie Thompson, a retired visiting nurse and a great-great-grandmother, moved to the Woods five years ago. She said she loves the view from her two-bedroom third-floor unit. "I look out over trees and get to watch the birds," she said.

And when she returns from trips to visit relatives or shop at Potomac Mills or other nearby stores, "I always get a parking space right in front, no matter when I come home," she said.

The 150-unit community was formerly known as Woodmark Apartments; the name Woods at Potomac Mills was chosen in a contest among residents and staff after Equity Management of Laurel acquired the property seven years ago.

When Carl Levi first looked at the bare-bones community, he said, he thought, "This is not for me." However, three years ago, when a military assignment brought him back to the area, he changed his mind and settled his family into a three-bedroom apartment. The setting, the commute and the price were right, he said.

Vernette Douglas discovered the community in 1972 when it was under construction. The then-rural setting appealed to her, so she told her husband, "When we get rich, we're going to live here."

With a young daughter in tow, the couple moved into their first apartment there in 1979. The only things nearby were a Tastee Freez and one other apartment complex, she recalled. There was no shopping center, no public transportation, not even any schools. "Wow! We live in the country for real now!" she exclaimed after they signed the lease.

Douglas took a job as a porter for the complex, doing hands-on work to keep the property in shape -- cleaning halls, sweeping sidewalks, carting out trash and maintaining the grounds. "I loved working outside," she said. She helped plant flowers and wasn't above squirting co-workers with a hose on hot days.

However, Douglas aspired for more; she recalls telling neighbors, "One day, I'm going to run this place."

Equity Management promoted from within after it took over. Douglas, who by then was a leasing consultant, became the property manager.

"I wanted to make this a community for older and younger families . . . a peaceful place," Douglas said.

She now has a reputation as an enforcer -- "not unusual rules, just common-sense things," she said.

She's quick to clamp down on loitering or auto maintenance on the property. Children are discouraged from playing in the halls or parking lots.

Thompson recalled a recent afternoon when some boys were being rowdy outside her building. Douglas was leaving for the day but stopped to talk with the boys.

"I don't know what she said to them, but they scattered," Thompson said. "She has it together."

Thompson said notices are sent out frequently about the rules on noise and loitering. "New people are always moving in," she said.

Two playgrounds and a large shaded picnic area with grills offer plenty of outdoor space but seem to be little used during the day except by residents of neighboring communities waiting for the bus that stops on Powells Creek Boulevard. "You'll find kids here in the evening," said one bus rider.

Good-natured banter between Douglas and Nick White, the chief maintenance engineer, keeps the office lively.

Known to residents as Miss Vern and Mr. Nick, the two -- with 48 years on the job between them -- seem to approach their tasks with enthusiasm and good humor.

White has been with the complex for 21 years and lives there. (Douglas has moved to a house -- in the country, of course.) Beyond the usual maintenance requests, he shares stories of other tasks -- like corralling a beaver running amok in the parking lot.

Once, a new resident was convinced that her apartment was haunted. It turned out that whenever she entered, she unknowingly brushed against the pressure-sensitive light switch inside her front door.

Recently, White's attention was focused on seven newborn kittens being cared for by their mother in a storm drain on the property. Pets aren't allowed in the apartments, so White was exploring options for finding them homes. "You need a kitten?" he asked a visitor. "Three or four kittens?"

With White and other employees living on-site, 24-hour emergency maintenance service is the rule. However, Douglas said residents are considerate when repairs aren't emergencies. "Sometimes they'll say, 'You don't have to hurry -- you can come tomorrow when I'm home.' "

Thompson said she hasn't had to call maintenance much, but when she does, "if they're not busy, they're here in 15 to 20 minutes."

Douglas's management role hasn't changed her willingness to share housekeeping hints. Showing an apartment one day, she stopped to chat with a member of the cleaning staff, comparing ways to remove black heel marks from an entryway floor.

Apartments at the Woods at Potomac Mills have abundant closet space; all units have at least one walk-in closet. Living/dining room combinations are about 15 by 16 feet. Master bedrooms run about 17 by 11 feet in the one-bedroom units and 12 by 15 feet in two-bedroom units. Those in the three-bedroom apartments are smaller.

The laundry rooms in each building get high marks because they are not stuck in dark basement corners. Rather, they are on the second floor of the three-story buildings and have plenty of light.

Apartments are being upgraded as they become vacant. Renovated kitchens are being opened to the living room, and other fixtures are being updated.

Cristin Klein, a two-year resident who teaches nearby, said she likes the ceiling fans in her older two-bedroom unit but said those are being replaced by chandeliers in the remodeled units. So far, seven units have the new features.

There is no fitness center or clubhouse at the Woods at Potomac Mills, nor is there a business center. However, nearby are a golf course, a commercial gym, Leesylvania State Park, Potomac High School and the Woodbridge campus of Northern Virginia Community College.

"People take care of their own entertainment," Douglas said.

For Thompson, whose entertainment revolves around extended family in the area, that's fine. "I just feel comfortable here," she said.