DATE: Wednesday, July 9, 1997               TAG: 9707090429

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JOHN MURPHY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   81 lines

BEACH TIPTOES PAST THE GREEN LINE HOMES BUILT AROUND GREENS MEET COUNCIL'S REQUIREMENTS.

In a city where proposals for large new developments can often divide council members, spark fierce battles over the need for open space and climax in sharp exchanges between developers and residents on the council chamber floor, something unusual happened Tuesday:

Heron Ridge Estates, a developer's plan for 108 upscale, single-family homes clustered around an 18-hole championship golf course off Seaboard Road, quietly won a tentative nod from the City Council, with few words of recognition and not a peep of disapproval.

For Heron Ridge Estates, that's a sign of high praise.

The 408-acre project will be located below the city's Green Line, a boundary drawn in 1979 that divides the city's heavily developed northern half from its largely agricultural region to the south.

Though other developers with proposals to build beneath this line have met stiff resistance from planners, the Heron Ridge project has been lauded for wedding pricey homes with open space - in this case, 80 percent of the development will dedicated to a golf course.

The golf course also fits squarely into the city's long-range tourism and economic development strategy, calling for the construction of new courses as a way to attract more visitors to the city.

``The courses will expand tourism into the shoulder season and help compete with resorts like Myrtle Beach,'' said Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf, adding that the golf course is not what most people may consider open space.

``It's a golf course. You can't take a stroll through there. There aren't any baseball fields, either,'' she said.

Still, it is precisely this combination of open space and housing that is missing in the controversial development project proposed by R.J. ``Rip'' McGinnis. McGinnis wants to build 98 upscale, single-family homes on 58 acres just south of the Green Line, but his plans don't include a golf course, park, conservation areas or other tract of open space required for development in the growth-restricted zones.

These requirements were established in 1991-92, when the city realized development could not be halted forever below the no-growth boundary. City leaders set up three transition areas south of Princess Anne Road and north of Indian River Road to ease development from the suburban north to the agrarian south. Heron Ridge Estates and McGinnis' proposed site are located in transition areas.

McGinnis, however, has said his property, known as Sandy Hill Farm, is uniquely located along the Green Line and deserves special consideration.

In May, the Planning Commission recommended 8-3 that the City Council approve the plan. But last month, McGinnis asked that the matter be deferred indefinitely while the city finishes reviewing its Comprehensive Plan, a document released last week which offers guidance on the development of the city.

The 500-plus page document is being discussed this week during public hearings throughout the city.

On Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to approve a basketful of variances, permits and zoning changes that will clear the way for the Heron Ridge project. As part of the development agreement, the city will share the cost of providing water and sewer services to the development with the buyers.

The city also will take ownership of the property where the golf course will be built and lease it back to the developer. Before construction on the course and homes can begin, the city must approve the lease. A vote on the agreement is expected Aug. 5.

Heron Ridge Golf Club, the project developer, will sell 51 lots for development. Its partner, Williams Holding Corp., will sell 57 lots.

All the homes, which will each cost $300,000 or more, will be built on half-acre to three-quarter-acre lots.

Robert J. Scott, city planning director, has said he expects the real estate taxes generated by the homes to pay for the city services they require. Less expensive homes often do not produce enough property taxes to meet the city's expenses.

In related business Tuesday, the City Council gave final approval for the Tournament Players Club at the city's Lake Ridge property. The city will give the land for the 18-hole course to the PGA, which has agreed to install utilities and build a road to the site.

The PGA course and the Heron Ridge course, if granted final approval next month, will mark significant progress toward the city's goal to construct at least five public golf courses, placing Virginia Beach on the golf players' map. KEYWORDS: GREEN LINE DEVELOPMENT VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL

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