DATE: Tuesday, February 25, 1997            TAG: 9702250190

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT                     LENGTH:  110 lines

UTILITIES SPARK DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR 3,000 HOMES IN ISLE OF WIGHT WAS LAID MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO.

Everybody knew it would happen.

Take available land in a rural location; add a transportation network with easy access to metropolitan areas.

Just one thing more is necessary for development, and that's utilities.

And that's what's happening in Isle of Wight County.

The Hampton Roads Sanitation District sewer line has reached the northern end of the county, and developments rezoned for years are coming to life.

One of the largest - Graymour, encompassing nearly 1,000 acres that could eventually give birth to more than 3,000 single- and multifamily homes - is back.

The community started and stopped in the early '70s with 152 homes in Carisbrooke, a small subdivision south of the James River Bridge.

Like thunder moving off the river, rumblings in Carisbrooke started when surveyors appeared, said Evelyn Chandler, a former Planning Commission member and secretary of the Carisbrooke Community Association.

Then, orange flags were spotted in the close-knit community where shipyard executives, retired professionals and retired military people live.

``And it was - Alert! Alert!'' Chandler said. ``Everybody wanted to know what was going on.''

Chandler could answer some of the questions. She knew, when she moved to the county 20 years ago, that the community near the James was the beginning of a larger subdivision. She learned more during her years on the Planning Commission.

``We all knew that the sewer was going to come, and we knew that the Newport District was designated for growth and development,'' she said. ``Now, the sewer line is here, and things are beginning to happen. Why should anybody be surprised?''

The HRSD line was routed north on U.S. 17 to the intersection of routes 32/258 - known as Bartlett. There, the line turned left toward Smithfield Packing. The packing plant should hook on this spring.

With regional sewerage passing by, one of the first in line was Cypress Creek, a 400-home subdivision off Va. Route 10 with up-scale housing, a recreational area and a modern golf course. Signs of construction are obvious from the Smithfield bypass.

At Bartlett, the sewer line is within reach of Carisbrooke. The subdivision was designed as a multifamily community with areas designated for commercial and industrial. It was rezoned in December 1974.

Now, Graymour could soon appear on both sides of 17 and wrap around Carisbrooke.

``This is a Harbourview, a Kingsmill, Kiln Creek kind of development,'' said county Planning Director Bryan David.

He said, ``We're having a lot of boomlets. There is significant rezoning activity. It was just a matter of time.''

This rezoning decision was made more than 20 years ago. Since then, the land has been in the hands of Grayco Inc., a Richmond-based holding company. The company, David said, has jumped the most difficult development hurdle. Decisions that must be made now are simply yes or no.

``It's like - as long as you get over the high bar, you can do it,'' he said. ``As long as you meet the minimum standards, you will be approved.''

Grayco's vice president, Jack L. Wilkerson, said his company won't likely develop the land.

``But we have a lot of people showing interest,'' he said. ``What we would like to do is be as responsible as possible in how the land is developed. And we will have some control over that.''

David said the developer must comply with today's standards. Laws controlling wetlands, for example, have changed since 1974. And the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, nonexistent in the '70s, must be considered.

David said he feels certain that anything done with the land will be ``upscale.'' After all, it will be the ``gateway to the county'' from the Peninsula approach.

And Isle of Wight has a comprehensive plan now that includes highway overlay requirements that weren't in place in the '70s.

But, with rezoning in place, the developer won't be obligated to consider the county's current policy of voluntary cash proffers - the cost to provide schools, fire and rescue, and libraries necessary to serve the future citizens of the development.

``It is a concern,'' David said. ``This is the type of development that could have no offset. We're going to handle it like we handle any development. But there are some differences.''

If Graymour were coming in today, the county could suggest proffers - voluntary on the developer's part - of $6,800 per single-family house or more. A development this size could bring more than $21 million.

Wilkerson said his company believes that the county is ``ripe for development.''

``We're looking at Gatling Pointe and several other developments that have done so well,'' he said. ``The county has certainly attracted some high quality development possibilities. The bridge is free. Route 17 is a very good route between Newport News and Suffolk.''

Meanwhile, the good people of Carisbrooke are keeping an eye on the progress. The community association has already met once with county officials, and they plan to do it again, Chandler said.

``It's like a quiet sanctuary here,'' she said. ``We're surrounded by woods, water and the highway. But, if they're going to put up apartments and townhouses, that's too much density. The next thing you know, they'll have a traffic light out there.''

Graymour - or whatever it will be called - isn't likely to happen overnight, David said. A development that size could take from 10 to 20 years to build, but it looks like it's on the way.

``And there are a lot of new laws and environmental regulations that could reduce the numbers,'' he said. ``But right now, it's very interesting.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color photo]

MICHAEL KESTNER/The Virginian-Pilot

Evelyn Chandler, secretary of the Carisbrooke Community Association,

is concerned that Carisbrooke may lose its peace and quiet.

Color VP map

Graymour

For copy of map, see microfilm

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