Town Rich In History Grapples With Future

In recent town elections to replace three city council members and Hilton, who chose not to seek another term, growth was the major issue. With 581 votes cast, a pro-growth slate swept into office, with campaign contributions from developers, most notably from Greenvest.

Jim Duszynski, Greenvest's chief executive, makes no apologies. "We certainly did support them," he said. "All land use is political, and every political race in the region and nationally has significant focus on issue of growth. As developers involved with the growth issues, politics and our business become very intertwined."

New mayor and lifelong county resident Peggy Smith makes no apologies, either. As a local banker, she has "done most of the construction lending for this county," she said, so naturally she had builders' support.

But with the growth and appreciation, she said, "My concern is for the local people that actually work here. Their children are not going to be able to afford a home. It's going to be hard for them to afford anything."

So far, houses in Huntfield are mostly in the $300,000-to-$400,000 range, and the 150 completed homes are inhabited mostly by newcomers to town, including one of the newly elected town council members. There are about 50 more under construction. When it is built out, Huntfield will have 1,900 detached houses, 900 townhouses, 400 rental apartments or condo units and 200,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. As part of its deal with the town, the developer dedicated 75 acres for schools -- and in return is receiving a hefty credit against builder impact fees.

"Huntfield's a great commuter location to live luxuriously and have everything located near you," said Anna Stead, a Charles Town real estate agent. By contrast, she said, "Downtown is charming. It's quaint and [an] everyone-knows-your-name kind of place."

Duszynski, who spent six years as project manager for Kentlands -- the neo-traditional subdivision in Montgomery County -- said his company is attempting to create a similar environment in Charles Town. Huntfield homes have front porches, white picket fences, rear-entry garages, modest lots and sidewalks, creating the look of a Norman Rockwell streetscape. It's an idyllic vision of America's small-town past on the outskirts of an honest-to-goodness small town.

Huntfield has a village green and downsized versions of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial. Its marketing center also serves as a museum, with displays highlighting the history of Charles Town.

"We're enamored with the small-town feel -- the sidewalks and parks that give us a sense of community," said Sharon Boston in a Huntfield promotional brochure. Sharon, her husband, Wally, and their young twins became Huntfield's first residents in April 2004.

But now real estate agent Stead is marketing the four-bedroom brick Colonial for which the Bostons paid $375,000 last year at $549,000. The family plans to move back to Howard County, where they had previously lived, so they can send the twins to a private school in Baltimore that Wally Boston attended.

"We love it out here," Wally Boston said, "but private school is the sort of choice you have to make at a certain point in time. We never sold our Howard County house. We bought this as a second house. I may end up keeping it. We put it on the market simply because we had so many Realtors inquiring."