Plans Change, and Life at Belmont Bay Rolls On

At some point, Epstein said, the town center will be anchored on the north by an environmental science research and education complex and on the south by a hotel and conference center. Small shops will link the two.

Sue Rowland, who moved to Belmont Bay six years ago, knew from the outset that Science Port -- a joint project of the Science Museum of Virginia and George Mason University -- was slated for the open space behind her townhouse and would probably block her view of the water.

"It was an opportunity then," Rowland said of her decision to purchase before the community was completed. "You have a chance to get in early when you might not be able to later."

Beverly King stumbled upon Belmont Bay even before the marina was dredged and the town center was built. "I was impressed with the different amenities coming," she said. "I don't play golf but thought living in a golf community would be interesting. I don't have a boat but wanted to live near the water."

After King moved to a three-level townhouse in 2001, she helped form the community's social committee. Last year, she retired after 37 years with the Department of Agriculture.

"We have a variety of events for different tastes," King said. She has organized chili cook-offs and a motorcycle show -- where she showed off her Harley.

"We have had a luau at the pool, a blizzard in July with snow cones for kids and in October the Army jazz band performs at the pavilion overlooking the water."

After their five children were grown, Patsy Humphrey grew tired of the stairs and upkeep on the large split-foyer house she and her husband shared in Mount Vernon. A real estate agent for more than two decades, she was showing a Belmont Bay waterfront condo to clients, she said, when she fell in love with it. Her husband, Cliff, was not so enamored. "I dug in my heels as hard as I could," Cliff said. "I didn't want them [the association board] running our lives."

Four years ago, the Humphreys moved to that condo with its 25-foot balcony. Cliff, who has had a change of heart, is now president of the condo association. "It depends on how you approach it," he said, praising the volunteers who bring a range of expertise, fulfilling the association's needs while saving residents money.

As for the move to Belmont Bay, "as I look back, it's the best thing we've done," he said. "It's reassuring to know that because of the wildlife refuge, nothing will be built beyond the golf club."

There's an added bonus for this boating couple. "We can always find a second mate," said Patsy, who doesn't seem overly concerned about the changes and delays in completing Belmont Bay. "If this place can't make it, no place can," she said.

Nature and his mother's legacy brought Rob Hartwell to the community in 2006. Elizabeth Hartwell spent 30 years protecting bald eagle habitats. From his condo, he watches eagles flying by his windows and looks across the river to see the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

"I don't think she would like the high-rise I live in," he admitted, "but she knew there was a trade-off. To get the wildlife refuge, there had to be some coordinated development."

Frim and Vince Nowicki, who had been watching Belmont Bay's development from the beginning, moved from Springfield to a 2,000-square-foot condo about four years ago for the lock-and-go lifestyle it offered. "The manner in which the community is laid out, with small landscaped squares and abundant front porches, makes for a very social atmosphere," Frim said.

The look of Belmont Bay, resulting from the imprint of two developers, does occasionally clash, though. And, as with any community constructed over many years, there continue to be tweaks and legal issues.

However, Debbie Blank, a six-year resident, said this is the fourth time she and her husband have bought into a still-developing community. Belmont Bay's retail shops, promised five years ago, would have blocked her marina view.

Now, having enjoyed a panoramic vista far longer than she expected, Blank said: "Sometimes it works out; sometimes it doesn't. This one is good."