THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 3, 1994 TAG: 9412010331
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PAIGE FLEMING, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 147 lines
Two years ago it was a grassy field unnoticed by passersby. A year ago the struggle to turn raw land into developed homesites had begun.
Now Great Neck Pines stands, not yet half finished, becoming more and more one of the last new developments in one of the best locations in Virginia Beach, say developers and builders alike.
What's not to like, say marketers of the subdivision, Progressive Realty. It's convenient to the Expressway, the beach and shopping. And ``Medical Row,'' as some call First Colonial Road where Virginia Beach General Hospital and numerous doctor's offices are located, is within walking distance.
But, according to those families who have bought lots and are now building homes in Great Neck Pines, the best thing about the area is that it is one of the last chances ``you have to build the home you've always wanted without leaving what is best about the Beach,'' says Joanie Krame, resident-to-be.
Great Neck Pines is a small up-scale subdivision under construction off Old Donation Parkway between Great Neck and First Colonial roads.
It's five minutes to Hilltop and the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway, 10 minutes to the Oceanfront, 15 minutes to Lynnhaven Mall and a very short bus ride to Cox High School. Plus, it's a stone's throw to all the fast food anyone could want.
Then, again if chicken nuggets and fries aren't acceptable, the upscale Le Chambord is right down the street on Great Neck Road. The subdivision has it all, says one of the five custom builders now working in the area.
Rick McGinnis of McGinnis Realty developed the subdivision and got it ready for individual lot sales.
``I was looking for a piece of property in the Great Neck area because of the demand for lots,'' McGinnis says. ``The area's primary draw is the schools. But it's ideal for shopping and recreation. So I approached the Church (of God) that owned the land to see if they wanted to sell because they had never developed it.''
McGinnis says that after the church decided to sell, he had primary development plans drawn up to submit to the city. By spring 1993, city officials had reviewed the plans and McGinnis was ready to start plotting the lots, drainage, sewer mains and waterlines.
Because of water concerns and environmental restrictions, McGinnis put in wells, which wells caused some delay in the developement.
``We had to use wells because this subdivision wasn't registered with he city before the water restrictions were in place, so we planned for 29 wells,'' he says. ``This meant getting involved with the Health Department. We had to put in three test wells. Then the water had to be tested. Once all that was done and approved we started construction.''
These wells have been a concern to those living next to Great Neck Pines in the 31-home subdivision called Forest Park. This neighborhood has many shallow wells.
Many of the residents use these 60- to 75-foot wells for washing cars and watering lawns during the long water-restricted months of summer.
``I'm concerned about what will happen after all these homes are finished,'' says Steve Hogan, whose property backs up to the new subdivision, ``and everyone is drawing water from the same place. My concern is now that they will cause me to have a dry well next summer. If they do I'm going to be hot.''
McGinnis says that he is aware of neighbors concerns about their well water. `I met with some of the homeowners and talked to they about their concerns. The well driller (we hired) told me our wells had to be drilled 85 to 135 feet deep. So I don't think that these wells will interfere with any others already drilled.''
Similar assurances come other builders as well. Whit Randolph of Progressive Realty says ``the wells have been dug deep. They will be fine.''
Gary Caruana of Caruana Homes, Ricky Stevens of R.B. Stevens and Larry Hill and Scott Strickland of Commonwealth Custom Homes all agree.
``I find it hard to believe that 29 individual wells would make that much of a difference, not in a aquifer like this. But there's no guarantee,'' says Strickland.
Another early struggle McGinnis and other builders dealt with was the proximity of Great Neck Pines to the other subdivision.
``I'm completely disgruntled. I'm the one that got hurt the most,'' says Joseph Sanders whose deck backs up right to the property line.
``I was told that this land was landlocked and would never be built on. Then it was sold to the church and then the church got into financial trouble and sold off those 10 acres. I'll probably sell my house but who's going to buy it like this.''
McGinnis says that all restrictions were followed and that property lines were considered and adhered to. ``We even backed off a little more to give then some extra room.''
A buffer of trees between the two neighborhoods were requested and added.
Caruana, a custom builder, describes Great Neck Pines as an exclusive subdivision with lots of at least 10,000 square feet. The homes are all custom built, mainly by people who are moving up to their dream home because they can do it without leaving the area.
``The average sales price in here is every bit of $240,000 to $250,000. They are requiring all brick or drivit exteriors.'' he says. ``There was no question this neighborhood would sell out. It's going to be a very successful area.
``Most of the people I deal with already live in the Great Neck corridor and all they're basically doing is upgrading.''
A typical home in Great Neck Pines is a brick two-story colonial with four or five bedrooms, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 baths plus amenities desire by the individual having it built.
Developers hit a slow spot waiting for permits to be processed and sweating out the weather last July when it rained for more than 20 days.
Other than that, says Strickland, things have gone pretty well. ``Processing the permits was more time consuming than I thought it would be and the environmental controls take more time processing through the city, but it's gone along pretty well.''
``We had to get the BMPs (best management practices) approved by everyone at the city. And then we had to put up a fence and will have to set in planting along the front according to city ordinances,'' says McGinnis.
The BMP is now an environmental requirement. BMPs in the case of Great Neck Pines are two drainage ponds, one on each side of the main street into the neighborhood that allow drainage water to gather in the ponds and be filtered before it moves into the city drainage system and finally out into the streams, rivers and Chesapeake Bay, explains McGinnis.
After all approvals were received, McGinnis closed on the development and sold the lots to individual builders. ``I sold lots to custom builders only for two reasons. They are already established with banks unlike a buyer might be and because of the wells I had to get people who understood the situation.''
Now as the houses go up and bricks are laid on and the driveways are poured, memories of beginning struggles fade as the excitement and anticipation of completed homes build. Certainly those who are waiting to move in are anxious.
``We were one of the first people to call about the lots,'' says Joanie Kramer. ``Just as soon as the sign went up. We lived in Great Neck Meadows across the street and wanted a new house but loved the area we lived in. We wanted the same schools and the same area.
``It's going to be a great neighborhood.'' MEMO: The is the first story in a series of three on the how a development
becomes a neighborhood and is accepted by the surrounding community.
The next installment tracking the progress will come in a few months.
ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
A change of view
[Color Photo of Joe Sanders]
TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff
MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Joseph Sanders used to see woods from his back yard. Now his deck
backs up to the construction i Great Neck Pines, a new development.
A patch of forest was hard to find near Great Neck Road. This one is
slated to become a new subdivision.
by CNB