Plans Change, and Life at Belmont Bay Rolls On

By Ann Cameron Siegal
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, September 27, 2008

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.

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."