THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 14, 1995 TAG: 9510130435
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 28 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY KATHLEEN BUTLER, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 132 lines
Smithfield is known as the ham capital of the world.
But today many Hampton Roads residents are choosing to call this once rural community home. They are attracted by its history, its lower tax rate and its location off the beaten path.
Yet this country community is located just 15 minutes from Newport News and 35 minutes from downtown Norfolk.
``We're very central,'' says Shirley Dillard, a Realtor with William E. Wood and Associates Realtors, who moved to Smithfield from Newport News five years ago. ``You couldn't ask for a more central location.''
Dillard says one day she just got fed up with the hassles of city living - the traffic, the congestion. When she suggested a move to Smithfield, her husband, who had been commuting by Smithfield every day to his job in Surrey, vetoed the idea.
But Dillard persuaded him to look beyond the outskirts into the heart of the community. A week later they bought a Smithfield home, and Dillard says they've had no regrets.
``We love it,'' she says.
In fact, Dillard loves the area so much that she has become a Realtor specializing in Smithfield and the surrounding Isle of Wight.
Originally home to the Warascoyak Indians, Smithfield was settled by the English in the mid-1600s and became a town in 1752. Nestled on the banks of the Pagan River, it was home to British merchants and sea captains, and it thrived on the commerce of the river.
Today, visitors to its historic district may feel like they've stepped back in time to a period of elaborate Victorian houses with turrets, stained glass windows and porch swings. Main Street, lined with antique shops, a bakery, an ice cream parlor, a drugstore and a five-and-dime, is still the center of town.
Yet just a short drive away, the new housing market is thriving.
In just over a year, about 40 homes have been sold in Moone Plantation - all but one lot and one house in the development's first phase of construction, says Scott Logan, a Realtor with Rose & Krueth Realty Corp., which represents the development.
In that time, Logan says he's seen a number of people moving from the Peninsula, Suffolk and Norfolk.
``Housing has definitely increased,'' he says. ``Now there are all types of developments here.''
The housing growth spurt, say Logan and Dillard, began with Gatling Pointe.
Just seven years old, Gatling Pointe development has already had its share of fame. It was twice selected Community of the Year by the Peninsula Housing and Builders Association and was selected as an award-winning community by the National Association of Home Builders.
But it was the sister community, Gatling Pointe South, developed just two years ago, that Realtors say really helped put Smithfield on the map. A portion of Gatling Pointe South was site of the 1993 Parade of Homes, and one of those houses was featured in Southern Living magazine.
Last year Gatling Point South was again featured in Southern Living when local custom builders R.L. Williams Homes Ltd. and Sasser Construction were chosen by the magazine to build some of its newest showplace designs.
And next spring, Southern Living is scheduled to take photos for its House Plans magazine, according to Branch Lawson, president of the Hampton Roads division of East-West Partners, the group that developed both communities.
``It's brought a lot of regional awareness,'' Lawson says of the Southern Living articles. ``People called me from all over the country.''
When East-West Partners first broke ground on Gatling Point in 1988, it seemed few developers were looking to Smithfield to build, Lawson says.
``We felt it was a great location, with its proximity to Newport News and Norfolk,'' he says. ``It's nicely removed. You don't have the high traffic concerns of Chesapeake or Virginia Beach.''
Today there are about 300 houses in the sister communities, nestled among the trees at the intersection of the Pagan and James rivers. A future phase of construction at Gatling Point South will add about 180 homes, Lawson says. Houses feature custom amenities and range in price from about $170,000 to over $400,000.
Residents can take advantage of the 68-slip deep-water marina, clubhouse, tennis courts and swimming pool at the Gatling Point Yacht Club.
Since moving to Smithfield when Gatling Point opened, Lawson says he has seen much growth in the area. About half of Gatling Point's residents have moved from outside the region, and the other half moved from Southside and the Peninsula.
``I think the area is changing, but yet, it's still able to retain the small-town atmosphere and charm,'' he says.
Smithfield and surrounding Isle of Wight County are growing. The county population rose 16 percent from 1980 to 1990 and an additional 3 percent to 25,800 between 1990 to 1994. Last year Carrollton Elementary School opened to accommodate a large share of the growing number of close to 5,000 students.
But unlike similar communities that have experienced serious growing pains as their populations have increased, Dillard says Smithfield has done a good job of anticipating and preparing for growth.
``The city saw it coming and is planning ahead,'' she says.
Even in the newer developments, like the Waterford Oaks community Dillard represents, lots are often large - from half to three-quarters of an acre or more.
But land isn't the only attraction. The real estate tax rate in Isle of Wight County is just 72 cents per $100; Smithfield residents pay an additional 23 cents per $100 in town taxes. The comparatively low tax rate, Dillard says, can sometimes qualify home buyers for a more expensive home.
Still, new Smithfield residents say above all it's the small-town charm that drew them to the area.
Susan and Dan DeStefano moved to Waterford Oaks from the Denbigh section of Newport News about six months ago. They say they liked the heavily wooded development and large lots.
Dan DeStefano still commutes to the Newport News Shipyard everyday, but he says the peace and quiet of their neighborhood are a more than fair trade for the slightly longer drive.
His wife agrees, and says she hopes Smithfield is able to contain the housing growth and maintain its quaint appeal.
``We're here because it's so quiet,'' she says. ``I wish it were a little closer (to shopping), but if it were, we'd be back where we came from.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
SMITHFIELD
HAVEN FOR COMMUTERS
[Color Photo by] ERIC BROOKS
Photo by ERIC BROOKS
The fountain in Olde Towne Court is a pleasant amenity to Gatling
Point South, a subdivision that transformed Smithfield into a
bedrooom town.
Smithfield's traditional downtown also has nostalgic appeal for
those moving there.
Photo by ERIC BROOKS
Gatling Point South, opened to home buyers two years ago, has
received repeated attention from Southern Living magazine.
by CNB