Plans Change, and Life at Belmont Bay Rolls On

More than a decade after the first backhoe rolled in, the waterfront community Belmont Bay is still a work in progress.

"There's a what's-coming-next curiosity among residents," said Bernie Guthrie, the community manager.

The original Belmont Bay concept had two main thrusts: to create a community where residents could enjoy recreation, dining and shopping for the basics without having to drive somewhere else, and to provide amenities that would also make it a destination for nonresidents.

Market conditions and reality have put the brakes on some plans while causing others to be modified.

So far, about 3,000 residents have moved into the 325-acre, pedestrian-friendly community on the shore of the Occoquan River in Prince William County, adjacent to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and across the river from Mason Neck State Park.

It's that scenic setting that first captures the eye after the drive through a somewhat seedy part of Route 1. Belmont Bay overlooks historic settings -- where the Mason family ran a ferry for more than 100 years beginning in the late 1600s; where the county's first courthouse was built on the river's shore in 1731; and the wooden bridge, built across the Occoquan in 1795, inspired Woodbridge's name.

Denise Smith, a two-year resident, decorator and mother of two, said: "I get in alpha mode because of the setting. People here are very much outdoor people."

Foot traffic is constant around the 156-slip public marina, on the 18-hole public golf course and along the county's first section of the Potomac Heritage trail. A Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak station and an elementary school are within walking distance.

Townhouses, several mid-rise condominiums, one nine-story condo and a smattering of single-family houses are connected by sidewalks. A little more than 1,000 of the proposed 1,873 housing units have been built. Still projected is a 600-unitover-55 complex on the western edge of the town center, walking distance to the waterfront.

Within the 90-acre New Urbanist-style town center, streets are narrower than usual so pedestrians can cross easily. Corners are tighter, so drivers must proceed slowly.

Developer Jim Epstein said: "We have a beautiful location that is in essence a giant cul-de-sac. We don't have through traffic."

Thousands of cars whiz by on Route 1 daily, but without the access a long-proposed Route 123-Route 1 interchange would provide, the originally planned destination features are on the back burner.