Charlie Madden and his wife, Beverly, loved living on the water and were happy with their home on Meredith Creek, about a mile from the Bay Bridge.
But they weren't thrilled with their daily commute. Court reporters with the Circuit Court in downtown Baltimore, it took 60 to 90 minutes to get to work each day.
Weary of the long commute and feeling they "weren't having any time to enjoy anything," they started looking at houses closer to the city. They found what they considered the perfect solution in Riviera Beach in northern Anne Arundel County -- a waterfront community with neighborhood beaches and boat ramps just three miles from the city line.
"We wanted to be closer to work and to stay on the water," says Mr. Madden. "When we saw this house, we just fell in love with it. It has a fantastic view."
The Maddens, who bought a duplex looking out on the Patapsco River, say Riviera Beach is a friendly community with convenient services. Best of all, they can get to work in 30 minutes.
But along with the benefits came a few problems they didn't expect -- the same waterfront that attracted them, they soon found, also lures teen-agers and partyers from nearby bars, who sneak into isolated areas after dark to hang out and drink beer.
For the Maddens, the problem hit close to home because one of the favorite meeting places -- the community's old boat dock -- is adjacent to their property.
"This came as kind of a surprise," says Mr. Madden. "We moved from a very quiet, secluded neighborhood where we didn't have anything like this. . . . I mean, I'm talking about radios on full blast at 3 a.m."
But the Maddens aren't thinking about moving.
They like Riviera Beach and plan to stay. So instead of getting angry or frustrated, they got active. In September, Mr. Madden took over the community's somewhat-defunct security patrol, boosting the number of volunteers from three to 12 in just a couple months.
The patrol, which enforces a 10 p.m. curfew on community-owned property, is now picking up one or two new volunteers a month, he says. Already, he's noticed a difference.
"When I started, we were only out there a few times a week, but now we're out they're every night. We stagger our hours so they think we're out all night," he said. "We have to keep on it, but I've seen an improvement.
"I used to have to call the police two or three times a week," he added. Last month, he only had to call once.
Pitching in to help tackle community problems is second-nature to many Riviera Beach residents, who say they have struggled to maintain their community despite industrial development to the north, recurring problems with water pollution in the creeks and increasing vandalism and petty crime by juveniles.
With more than 80 acres of open space to manage, including waterfront property around most of the peninsula community, the Riviera Beach Improvement Association can't afford to maintain all of it, association officers say. Community dues, which are voluntary, are only $15 a year and about 35 percent of the 1,300 households pay regularly.
So the association has concentrated on maintaining larger areas, such as two community beaches, the boat docks and a neighborhood park, and depends on residents to do much of the rest.
Neighbors help out
"There's a lot of walkways and [association-owned] property along the waterfront. Without the help of neighbors who live along there, we could never maintain it," says Tom Foster, president of the Riviera Beach Improvement Association.
Residents have also been diligent in working with county police to get more frequent patrols through the community and with county and state environmental agencies to get closer monitoring of the water quality in Stony and Rock creeks, which border the community to the east and west, and the Patapsco, which borders it to the north.
In recent years, water quality has improved, says Steve Witt, director of the Division of Community and Environmental Health of the county health department. Stony and Rock creeks are safe to swim in, with the exception of two coves in Rock Creek.
County and state projects, such as dredging the headwaters of Rock Creek and redesigning storm drains to decrease runoff, have helped, he says. But so many factors affect water quality in these areas that it requires constant vigilance, Mr. Witt says.
Ric Feehley, who moved to Riviera Beach with his family three years ago to live on the water, says the beach areas and docks are the biggest attraction of the community.
"The waterfront is used by plenty of people for swimming, crabbing, fishing, whatever. They were catching flounder in Stony Creek last year," he says.
Small-town feel
Many Riviera Beach residents say they love the neighborhood for its waterfront views, neighborhood beaches and summertime recreational activities. The community has a small-town feel, they say, where people know their neighbors and have services within walking distance.
Riviera Beach has its own elementary school, a private Catholic school, several churches, a post office, volunteer fire department, public library, funeral home, home for the elderly, restaurants, fast-food outlets and a shopping center anchored by Lauer's Super Thrift.
Father Dennis Tinder, pastor of St. Jane Frances -- a large Catholic parish in the center of the peninsula -- says he noticed the small-town feel right away, after transferring from another suburban parish three years ago.
"It's folksy, friendly," he says. "It's not your typical suburb. I think a lot of suburbs tend to be cold. This seems much more like a small town. We always say here, 'Everyone knows everyone in Riviera Beach.' "
First developed in the 1920s, the community's narrow streets are lined with small Cape Cods and ranchers, many built of brick. Although Riviera Beach, like many of the county's waterfront neighborhoods, was originally developed as a summer vacation spot for city dwellers, it has fewer converted cottages and ramshackle houses than some other waterfront areas.
Most of the houses were built in the 1940s and 1950s, real estate agents say, and are typical of the period -- three-bedroom homes of about 1,200 square feet on one-fifth-acre lots. The houses aren't big or fancy, but they're solid and well maintained. Many are surrounded by chain-link fences, with detached garages or sheds in the back yards.
Several dozen duplexes were added in the 1970s and early 1980s. But few homes have been built since, although many have been enlarged or renovated.
Most houses sell for about $90,000 to $150,000. Waterfront properties can run as high as $200,000 depending on the size of the house and whether the property runs right to the water. The community association owns most of the land adjacent to the water, but agents say at least a dozen homes are on lots that run to the water's edge.
Residents and real estate agents say most people looking for homes in the area either grew up in Riviera Beach or are looking specifically for waterfront property.
"I find a lot of people who grew up there want to go back there. You'll find whole [generations of] families living in there," says Susanne Gurney, a real estate agent with her husband's Century 21 office on Fort Smallwood Road. "It's a stable neighborhood."
So stable, residents say, that many people who bought in the 1940s and 1950s have never moved. The area is aging, they say, with younger families moving in gradually as elderly residents die or move to assisted housing.
"It's mostly the same, old settled folks here. Just a few youngsters have moved in," says 78-year-old Evelyn Sommer, who moved to Riviera Beach from the city 32 years ago.
"The neighborhood is changing -- slowly, slowly," says Beverly Sroka-Langley, a Century 21 agent who works in the neighborhood. "I'm showing houses to a lot of younger families ++ now because they're good, affordable first homes."
RIVIERA BEACH
Population: 3,520 (1990 census)
Commuting time to downtown Baltimore: 20 minutes
Commuting time to Washington: 1 hour
Public schools: Riviera Beach Elementary, George Fox Middle, Northeast High
Shopping: Riviera Plaza, with Lauer's Super Thrift, Rite Aid Pharmacy, bank and shops; Pine Grove Village with Mars food store, Revco, True Value hardware and other shops; Rock Creek Village with pharmacy, hair salon, pizza shop and others
Nearest mall: Marley Station Mall, 7 miles west
Points of interest: Patapsco River, Stony and Rock creeks and two community beaches; Rock Creek Park, south of Riviera Beach Elementary School; Fort Smallwood Park, about 5 miles southeast on Rock Point, with camping facilities; U.S. Coast Guard Yard and U.S. Army General Services Depot off Curtis Creek, 7 miles north
ZIP code: 21122
Average price of a single-family home*: $111,900 (32 sales)
* Average price of homes sold through the Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Information Technologies multiple listing service over the past 12 months