THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 26, 1995 TAG: 9508240425
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN MILES, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 127 lines
``Country living at the edge of the city'' announces the sign at the entrance to Stonegate, a single-family community near Great Bridge in its final stage of building.
Stonegate lies off Johnstown Road, just off South Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake.
The community's large, attractive entry has a median with bright landscaping. This long road is the sole entrance and exit to the expansive neighborhood. It turns into a ``Y''shape at a pond, complete with a fountain.
Some of the larger roads have courts meandering off them, making them excellent for recreational activities like strolling, roller-blading, jogging or biking. The houses sit on large, wooded lots and are widely spaced. Towards the back of the development is a series of man-made lakes and a row of lots that may be used for custom built houses. Traffic is minimal; silence abounds.
The first phase of the section consisted of ``Country Homes.'' The houses for the second phase, ``Horizons'' were more contemporary.
The houses for the third and fourth phases are just being constructed. Stonegate's building company, Chesapeake Homes, is erecting houses in the Stage 3 (``New Lifestyles'') and 4 (``Lakeside'') designs. However, there are inventory homes from the Horizons phase for sale. About half the neighborhood's 325 lots have been sold.
Michele Murphy, site manager for the Lakeside models mentions that an excellent selling point for the neighborhood has been not only the quiet of the area, but the quiet inside the houses as well.
``The new technology applied for the insulation (Insulsafe III) allows for such quiet,'' she says. Outside, only hummingbirds and ``tons of butterflies'' break the solitude. The location is another big selling point says Murphy. ``We're 30 minutes from Oceana or Portsmouth Naval Hospital, and Waterside is only 20 minutes, using the 464 bypass. And, the schools are wonderful.''
Also, people are attracted to the large, wooded sites. Lot sizes range from 13,000 to over 37,000 square feet, with the average at 13,800. If a lot happens to be barren of trees, Chesapeake Homes will plant one.
``We have a good mix of people living here,'' says Murphy, ``all different age groups.'' The beauty of living here, she says, is that after your stressful day and stressful traffic, once you're off South Battlefield, coming home, ``you feel like ahhh - you're in the country. It's a great feeling; that's why people are buying out here.''
Lakeside has two models, but three floor plans (2 story, 3-5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths) selections and three elevation selections for each floor plan.
With the cooperation of Virginia Power, these houses are equipped with a 12 SEER heat pump (there will be only 1,000 houses in the state with these). The owner's heating and cooling bill is guaranteed to be an average of less than $65 per month.
Some other unusual standard features include built-in entertainment center cabinets or bookcases, master bedrooms downstairs, master bath garden tub, gas fireplaces, walkway from house to driveway, and Silverline vinyl windows with Thermal Break. Lakeside has a pre-opening special of $1,000 off any of the floor plans, says Murphy.
Lt. Jeff Caporossi, a Navy physician, and his wife, Lisa, have lived in their Horizons home a month, but were the first people to move into their cul-de-sac.
They moved from ``barren South Texas, so the wooded lots really appealed to us,'' Lisa says ``The lots are large - it's nice having a big yard.'' They looked for houses in Chesapeake and Suffolk.
``We'd heard Chesapeake was nice,'' she says. ``We were originally attracted to Stonegate because of the new construction and the large, wooded lots.'' They had a fence built for their dogs and may build a deck later.
``The neighborhood's quiet. We have a small child and are expecting another one soon, so it's important to us that there's very little traffic. We're very happy here. We see a lot of people out walking, so our next mission is to get out and meet some neighbors.''
Timothy and Linda Canham moved into their country home from Massachusetts in November, 1994. They house-hunted for new construction only in Chesapeake, because of its reputation for fine schools.
``We like our location a lot. We have farmland behind us,'' says Linda. They had an in-ground pool built ``because it's so hot down here and we've gotten our money's worth this summer. The area's convenience for getting around is good, except for Locks Bridge. My husband is a physician's assistant at Norfolk General, which is a 30 minute commute - which doesn't even compare to the awful traffic in Boston.''
They're happy about Stonegate's friendly environment. ``Everyone says `Hi' when we go out, people introduce themselves, and a lot of people (like us) have dogs and walk them. It's our own community, away from the busy street. There's always someone home, which is nice.
``It's a great family neighborhood. I'd recommend it to anyone who's thinking about having kids. It's easy to find baby-sitters and friends for the kids,'' she says. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
GARY C. KNAPP
Residents find Stonegate's location is great for children and an
easy drive to all the amenities of the Grat Bridge area.
Bert Reavis heads the building company that has developed the
subdivision. The area has been constructed in several places.
At a Glance
STAFF Map
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Public schools: Southeastern Elementary , Great Bridge Middle School
North and South, Great Bridge Intermediate and Great Bridge High
schools.
Shopping areas: Greenbrier Mall is the nearest mall, about a 15
minute drive. A few strip shopping centers are close.
Recreation: The Great Bridge area has a variety of recreational
facilities. Seven Springs Country Club and golf course is nearby.
The Chesapeake Central Library sits just down Cedar Road at the
Municipal Center. The new Funscape, Fun Forest, YMCA, Great Bridge
Community Center and Great Bridge Swim & Racquet Club are within
easy driving distance.
FOR SALE
At 1224 Hillside Ave., a resale house with three bedrooms, loft, two
baths, and a brick facade was listed at $154,900.
Several Horizon style inventory homes are currently listed, priced
from $152,110 to $165,697.
New Construction: Base prices for the New Lifestyle houses are
$128,000, $131,000 and $133,000. Base prices for Lakeside houses
are $134,000, $141,900 and $143,900.
by CNB