THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 19, 1997 TAG: 9701210450
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: NEIGHBORHOODS
SOURCE: BY MARGO MATEAS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 108 lines
Monica Taylor apologizes as she hurries to pick up a stray toy that has wandered into the dining room of her brand-new home in The Estates at Harbour View. ``We've only been here a few weeks,'' she says, flushing with happiness at settling in her four-bedroom home.
Cheerful sunlight dapples across the white linoleum kitchen floor, spreading into the adjacent living room, where religious icons proudly dominate a far wall. Ricki Lake admonishes stray boyfriends on a television nestled in the built-in entertainment center.
A sweep of the room shows a fine view of the neighborhood behind; neat rows of houses along curving, wide streets, the panorama interrupted here and there by new construction. Inside, a narrow stairway leads to a window seat and a corridor of bedrooms, including a large master suite.
For their first home, Monica and husband Richard chose the Alexandra model, the largest of the single family detached condominium units with 1965 square feet of living space.
According to developer Tuck Bowie of Terry Peterson Residential, the Taylors are exactly the type of buyers the subdivision is designed to appeal to. The Navy family typifies the move-up or first-time-buyer market segment, to whom a four-bedroom, two bath home with small fenced-in yard is a dream come true at under $115,000.
Like three other new residents, the Taylors were referred to the neighborhood by friends who live in the neighborhood.
``We came out here around six o'clock one night, and watched all the families strolling around, visiting with each other, playing with their kids in the streets. It was just the kind of place I wanted to be,'' Taylor said.
``Safety was major concern for us, raising a young daughter. We feel really safe here. It's just perfect for us. We couldn't be happier,'' she added.
Around the corner is another Navy family. Bob and Becky Kramer and dog Belle moved into their new home in December. They couldn't get out of the hectic buzz of Wards Corner fast enough, according to Bob.
``We were renting a place there for two years, and it just got to be crazy,'' the 22-year-old E-5 said. ``When we came out here and took a look at what we could own for ourselves, and how affordable it was, we knew right away this was what we wanted to do. It's out in the country but close to the city.''
The concept of the teeny-tiny boxed-in closeness of an attached condominium is nowhere to be found in these expansive homes; a detail Tuck Bowie indicates is a major reason for the popularity and success of the single-family community.
``It's a niche that hadn't been explored here,'' Bowie said of the single-family detached condominium concept. ``People who have been renting for a long time and older people who don't want the hassle of taking care of a big house anymore really take to these homes. We give them big houses, little yards and small-to-medium prices they can afford. It's been tremendously successful.''
But the major draw for new residents is as they say in the business: location, location, location.
``It's true what they say about location being everything,'' Bowie explains. ``You're 30 minutes away from everything - downtown Norfolk, Hampton and Suffolk. You're seconds away from interstate 664 and other major arteries. Without question, Suffolk's a great place to live.''
About 50 percent of the population commutes to the Peninsula and the other half to the Southside. Many of the community's residents are young families who work for the government, like the Taylors and Kramers. However, Harbour View contains subdivisions that can appeal to every income and socio-economic buyer in the market.
Adjacent neighborhoods such as Burbage Acres, Ridgewood, Burbage Lakes, Castlewood, Scottsfield and Glenrose offer a diverse array of housing, including duplexes, single-family detached condominums and single family homes. Price ranges for this eclectic mix start at the mid-80's and go up to $225,000 for the high-end custom homes, according to Bob Williams of the Jorman Group, the master developer of Harbour View.
A section of townhouses has just opened, and a large apartment complex is due to start construction later in the spring. A large playground is planned for the southern end of The Estates. Elsewhere in the complex are tennis and volleyball courts and a large swimming pool, open to members of the homeowners' association.
The Jorman Group intends to undertake construction on the southern and western villages of Harbour View by this summer. This upscale housing development will include luxury golf course homes in a variety of styles and prices, including custom homes selling for more than $250,000.
Each section blends in seamlessly with its surroundings. Neighborhoods flow into and out of one another, with strict architectural design codes keeping everything pleasing to the eye.
Yet, for the 650 families that call Harbour View home, the main thing that keeps them happy is each other.
``You've got to feel you belong somewhere,'' Monica Taylor believes. ``That's how we feel here. This is our neighborhood, and this is our future.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARGO MATEAS
The Estates at Hrbour View offers neat rows of houses along curving,
wide streets.
Developer Tuck Bowie says The Estates is designed to appeal to
move-up pr first-time buyers, to whom a four-bedroom home with a
yard is a dream come true at under $115,000.
VP Map
EDITOR'S NOTE
This is the first in an ongoing series of features focusing on new
area neighborhoods. As life in the big city moves ever nearer to
Suffolk, more and more families are calling the region home.
Correspondent Margo Mateas takes a look at Harbour View, Suffolk;s
largest master planned community, located near Interstate 664 and
the Portsmouth border.