THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508030380
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AT HOME
SOURCE: BY BRENDA HARRIS, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 156 lines
Many people's idea of their dream home involves the word ``big.'' Big custom house on a big lot with lots of big trees. Such a home can easily be found in Middle Plantation, an affluent neighborhood of more than 400 homes in the centrally located Little Neck area of Virginia Beach.
A quiet oasis off Little Neck Road just minutes from busy Virginia Beach Boulevard, the area boasts large custom homes on wooded lots, most of which are at least half an acre. Housing styles are varied and include ranches, colonials, Tudors, contemporaries, Georgians and transitionals. The average sales price is over $300,000.
The area was first developed in the late 1970s. The final phase of development began in 1987. There are a few scattered lots still available for building. Jahn Summs, one of the original developers, named the area after a plantation in the Williamsburg area. He thought it fitting because the neighborhood is in the middle part of Virginia Beach's northern section.
Middle Plantation's street names are unusual - some examples are Regent Park Walk, Cannonbury Common, Kew Green, and Cricklewood Quay. According to Summs, ``I made the street names from bits and pieces of names from places in the city of Westminster in London, England.''
Brad and Sandy Doucette have lived in their 2,800 square foot brick Dutch Colonial with four bedrooms and three baths on Perrins Chase for almost three years. Since moving in, Brad, manager of Academy Van and Storage, and Sandy, an active school and community volunteer, have added a new kitchen floor, painted and put in a new deck, door and ceiling fans.
With children Lauren, 9, and Bret, 7, the Doucettes wanted a house in a good school system. ``We looked in the Little Neck and Great Neck areas,'' Sandy says. ``With all the areas we looked at, we just kept coming back to this neighborhood.'' She is an active school volunteer at her children's school, Kingston Elementary.
Jim and Robbin Crace, with son Cody, 4, moved in to their 3,200-square-foot white Colonial with three bedrooms and three baths on Glen Eden Quay a year ago. Friends of the Doucettes, the Craces, were attracted to the neighborhood by the schools and central location, as well as the large trees and lot sizes.
Jim, a United Parcel Service supervisor, and Robbin, a supervisor at the Kempsville area library, have been busy since moving into the area. They have
repainted, re-wall-papered, updated light fixtures and plumbing, and added new foyer tile, a sprinkler system and flooring, and have enlarged the deck and added a hot tub.
``This is a secluded area,'' Robbin Crace says. There is no through traffic, and no speeding through the neighborhood. We have an extremely low crime rate here. The area has the Neighborhood Watch.''
Looking out over the large yard, Robbin notes that, ``There's lots of wildlife to watch - rabbits, squirrels and birds.''
The area's active civic league was another selling point for the Doucettes and Craces, as well as for the current civic league president, Wally Newton. The Newton family, which includes Wally, wife Linda, and teenagers Berkeley and Andrew, lives in a brick Georgian with four bedrooms and three baths on Welwyn Muse.
Wally Newton estimates that three quarters of the residents belong to the civic league. A neighborhood directory is published periodically to help families get to know each other.
The architectural review committee exists to keep the subdivision desirable as a residential community and to maintain architectural standards for buildings, walls, fences, pools, docks, doghouses, sheds, etc.
In addition to quarterly membership meetings, the league sponsors an annual Halloween parade, holiday decoration contest and caroling on the Quay, an Easter Egg Hunt, and a spring neighborhood garage sale.
There is a garden club whose community activities include garden projects at local schools and assisting the Civic League in planting and maintaining neighborhood entrances.
The Women's Club sponsors various activities such as a casual dinner club, bridge clubs, out-to-lunch Club and a book club. The men's club's activities include golf outings, deep sea fishing trips, Norfolk Tides outings and card games.
The civic league was recently successful in preventing the school system from dividing Middle Plantation's children into two elementary school attendance zones. As a result, area children continue to be zoned for Kingston Elementary only.
The area is popular with local homeowners, according to Claudia Hudgens, a Womble Realty sales agent who has lived in the neighborhood a long time. According to her, in the lower end of Middle Plantation's market, which is less than $250,000, few houses are for sale and when they are they sell very quickly.
The current lowest priced house on the market is $298,500.
Even houses higher than $250,000 usually sell within 60 days if priced correctly. According to Claudia, ``Middle Plantation holds its own in regards to appreciation when compared to other neighborhoods in its price range.
Waterfront properties appreciate at a greater rate, as they do throughout the city. Although there was a large inventory of houses on the market four years ago when many companies left the area, there aren't many houses for sale now.
``Many residents are staying here and adding on, rather than move from the area. When residents do move, they often move from the smaller, older homes in the front of the subdivision to the newer, bigger homes in the back part.''
Middle Plantation has exceptional aesthetic appeal.
The well-designed custom homes sit on manicured lots. The azaleas in spring and the changing colors of the area's trees in fall provide a visual feast of color for residents.
As Wally Newton says, ``You really get a feel for this neighborhood as soon as you drive into it. It's got so much curb appeal.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
GARY C. KNAPP
Brad and Sandy Doucette have lived in their home on Perrins Chase
for almost three years. With childrren Lauren, 9, and Bret, 7, the
Doucettes wanted a house in a good school system. "We looked in the
Little Neck and Great Neck area. With all the areas we looked at, we
just kept coming back to this neighborhood," Sandy says.
Middle Plantation boasts large custom homes on wooded lots, most of
which are at least half an acre. Housing styles are varied and
include ranches, colonials, Tudors, contemporaries, Georgians and
transitionals.
AT A GLANCE
Staff Map
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Schools: Kingston Elementary, grades K-5; Lynnhaven Middle, grades
6-8; First Colonial High School, grades 9-12.
Shopping: The numerous shopping centers on Virginia Beach Boulevard
are just minutes away. Pembroke and Lynnhaven Malls are also very
close.
Recreation: Middle Plantation-Bishopsgate Neighborhood Park is on
Little Haven Road. Little Neck Swim and Racquet Club and Little
Neck Neighborhood Park (which has tennis courts, also) are on Little
Neck Road. There are ballfields nearby. The Central Library is
nearby on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
Assessments: According to the Virginia Beach assessor's office,
values range from $188,000 to $712,000. The average assessed value
is $275,000.
FOR SALE
At 949 Royal Oak Close, a four-bedroom, three-bath house was listed
for $298,500.
At 920 Kings Cross, a five-bedroom, three-bath house was listed for
$334,900.
At 937 Salisbury Green, a four-bedroom, four-bath house is listed
for $439,000.
SOLD
At 912 Salisbury Green, a four-bedroom, four-bath house sold in
September for $253,000 after nine days on the market.
At 905 Cricklewood Quay, a four-bedroom, three-bath house sold in
November for $298,000 after 13 days on the market.
At 3208 High Borough, a five-bedroom, three-bath house sold in
August for $354,900 after 28 days on the market.
by CNB