THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9606280258
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: 75 lines
At a Parade of Homes in 1993, at Gatling Pointe, Realtor Leslie Doggett met a retired New York City police officer searching for a home.
The retiree wasn't quite ready to move then.
But just a few months after the visitor returned to Long Island, there was a railroad shooting in his area.
Doggett made a sale.
``He called to ask if there was any way we could speed things up,'' Doggett said last week, chuckling. ``They are coming here from up North. It's the quality of life, the climate.
``A couple of months after the police officer moved in, I got a call from his brother-in-law. He was retiring from the school board up there, and he bought (a home) the following month.''
Doggett, who works for Century 21 First Colony, returned last week to the scene of much of his recent success to hear that even more homes are coming to the upscale development that seems to be attracting folks from all over - retirees, military personnel, business executives.
For the announcement, Realtors and builders were treated to a progressive lunch and a tour of some of the newer homes in the community, many of them ``Southern Living'' magazine designs for which the development has gained acclaim.
The 1993 show, for instance, attracted 55,000 people to rural Isle of Wight County and was named ``Best in the Nation'' by the National Association of Home Builders.
Branch Lawson, president of the Hampton Roads Division of East West Partners of Virginia - Gatling Pointe's developers - said the newest section of the subdivision, Gatling Pointe South, will be expanded by 36 homesites. Another 170 or more already are on the drawing board.
The expansion will include an ``old-fashioned'' park, with picnic shelters, a baseball field, basketball courts and a lighted bike trail.
It will be a ``nice place for family reunions and picnics,'' Lawson said.
The homes on the tour included amenities like elaborate woodwork, whirlpool baths, gas fireplaces and the thing that the developer has demanded from the very beginning - quality craftsmanship.
``We've been very lucky with our builders,'' Lawson said. ``They've done a fine job. That's why we wanted to keep (the guests) informed.
``We've gotten preliminary plat approval on the expansion, and we're ready to go,'' Lawson said.
Residents from 40 states visited the development during 1993's parade, Lawson said.
But that's not when Gatling Point's success started.
It started almost as soon as the subdivision opened in 1988, as soon as potential buyers discovered that the community is within just a few minutes of almost every major Hampton Roads city.
``The easy accessibility is part of it,'' Lawson said. ``We're within 35 minutes to downtown Norfolk; 15 minutes to Newport News Shipbuilding; 25 minutes to Langley. They like the community layout, the architectural standards. But the real success of the community probably comes from the fact that people love Smithfield. It's so charming, such a beautiful, quaint little town. And we don't have a lot of big-city problems.''
Gatling Pointe is located just outside the town limits of Smithfield, down winding, two-lane Battery Park road, which slips into the fishing villages of Battery Park and Rescue.
Much of the development is bordered by the Pagan River and local creeks. About 320 homes are currently occupied, Lawson said, with several others under construction in the two established sections. Most of the homes sell for about $200,000. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Realtors and builders were treated to lunch during a home tour at
Gatling Pointe, where many homes are ``Southern Living'' magazine
designs.
Visitors who came to the home tour at Gatling Pointe were treated to
dessert and beverages at the Gatling Pointe Club House. by CNB