Conceived in the 1970s as a "town within a town," Coldspring Newtown is one of Baltimore's most innovative planned communities. Residents enjoy manicured lawns; beautiful, mature trees and shrubs; tot lots; an Olympic size swimming pool; tennis courts; walking paths; and bird sanctuary all on pedestrian walkways.

• The Village of Cross Keys
• Roland Avenue shops
• Falls Road shops
• Mount Washington Village

Among the many convenient features are the Olympic size swimming pool with lap lanes and diving board; the pool cafe; the tennis courts; the baseball field; Ruscombe Gardens senior center; Ruscombe Mansion Health Center; and the Waldorf School of Baltimore, which offers a tuition discount to Coldspring residents.

A monthly community newsletter lists upcoming events and community information. Information is also available from the CCA office at 410-664-6341.

Among the most striking features of the community are the "deck houses" which showcase the architectural styling of Moshe Safdie and Associates. The main level of a typical Coldspring deck house opens to a brick courtyard complete with plantings and wood benches at the front and backs to a park-like open space. More than 20 floor plans are available and styles range from two-bedroom "bridge" units ("ranchers in the sky") to three-to-four bedroom town homes with full basements. Many have wrapping staircases, split foyers, skylights, large windows, and open floor plans. All units have central air-conditioning and reserved garage parking.

Newly developed in the mid-1990s, The Woodlands at Coldspring offers families a variety of floor plans in traditionally-styled homes, many of which back to the Cylburn Arboretum. Like the original Coldspring Newtown community, The Woodlands offers protected green spaces and walkways.

The Coldspring Community Center office strives to keep current listings of properties for sale or rent within the community. The center can be contacted during office hours at 410-664-6341. Though many homes are end units and town homes, Internet listings (at www.realtorads.com) for Coldspring Newtown can be found by specifying "condominium" as a type of home.

Originally proposed as a "community in a park" and occupying approximately 370 acres of rolling, wooded land in northwest Baltimore, Coldspring Newtown was planned to extend from Northern Parkway to Druid Hill Park and from Greenspring Avenue to the Jones Falls Expressway. It was planned to house 12,400 people in 3,780 units with a full range of commercial and community services, as well as parkland and water recreation, to meet most of the everyday needs of the residents. The centrally located town center was to contain a supermarket and more than a dozen other shops and stores, a teen center, a senior center, a library, a post office, and other community facilities grouped around a main plaza south of Cold Spring Lane. An additional 100,000 to 150,000 square feet of public office space was planned for a plaza north of Cold Spring Lane. The town center plazas would be connected by a pedestrian bridge.

As it exists today, Coldspring Newtown and The Woodlands comprise approximately 300 homes and provides recreational facilities and access to the Waldorf School of Baltimore which enrolls students from preschool through eighth grade.

The new Lower School building at The Waldorf School of Baltimore is adjacent to a vacant pad site where a proposed senior center will be built. The school also has future plans for athletic fields, a community arts center, a library, and a possible high school building. Although these future facilities are to be owned and operated by the school, The Waldorf School and the Coldspring Community (which includes The Woodlands at Coldspring) are building a relationship where the amenities of the neighborhood and the school will be shared in hopes of fulfilling the promise of a unique and rewarding community.