Numerous housing projects have come to York County in the last few years, bringing with them new retail and an increase in population at busy intersections in both the lower and upper parts of the county.
Here’s a look at where each project stands at the end of 2014.
Washington Ridge
Six of the 22 homes have been completed and 11 lots have been sold in Washington Ridge, a new development located off Merrimac Trail.
Six of the parcels are currently not for sale, as constructors must work around the steep drop in the topography.
House prices in Washington Ridge range from $209,990 to $266,990.
Sterling Springs
Sterling Springs, a community off Yorktown Road, planned for 34 homes — which range in price from $305,000 to $391,210 — to be completed by the end of 2015, according to Mid Atlantic Residential Realtor Pat Ford. Eight of the 34 homes are move-in ready.
Route 17/Fort Eustis Boulevard Intersection Projects
Homes for rent at Yorktown Arch are completely finished, with contractors putting the finishing touches on the landscaping, Property Manager Karen Dake told WYDaily.
The community of 92 two-story townhomes sits across from Arby’s and Wendy’s on Route 17. The development was approved by the York County Board of Supervisors in the fall of 2012.
A retail, restaurant and office aspect of 15,000 square feet around Bojangles was originally included in the proposal to the Board of Supervisors, saying it would be built “in response to market interest and demand,” but The Breeden Co. decided not to purchase the 2-acre tract of land for commercial development. It is still listed as for sale by Harvey Lindsay Commercial Real Estate.
Facing Yorktown Arch is Nelson’s Grant, the county’s first mixed-use development, approved in April 2010 and with a set completion date of 2016. Developers Steve Miller and Greg Pritchard broke ground on the 14-acre parcel, which features 66 traditional and luxury townhomes and carriage homes, four condominiums and two loft units, in the summer of 2011.
Thirty-two townhomes have been completely built, Miller said, and nine are under construction. He hopes to begin laying the groundwork for the second phase of construction, where 27 townhomes will be built, by the beginning of next year. He expects the lofts to be built by the end of 2015. Work on the residential condominiums was set to begin in December.
A Subway, Body and Sol Tanning, Great Clips, Three Amigos Mexican restaurant and an office for Sentara Medical Group make up the commercial portion of the development.
Three Amigos broke ground in December and will feature outdoor seating and a fully stocked bar, Miller said.
Subway and the tanning salon have been open since November. Sentara Medical Group will move into the new office by the end of the year, Miller said.
Yorktown Crescent, to be located behind Wendy’s and Arby’s, was approved in June 2011 and will feature 80 residential condominiums, 58 townhouses and duplexes, 64 rental apartments, eight “live-above” units and at least 31,000 square feet of commercial and community space.
Developer Woody Parrish told WYDaily in April 2013 he hoped to begin work by that summer and have the first units ready for occupancy by February or March 2014, but so far, no construction had occurred.
Parrish could not be reached for comment on the status of Yorktown Crescent by publication time.
The three projects around the Route 17/Fort Eustis Boulevard intersection were approved by the board thanks to the mixed-use overlay put in place in 2005, according to York County planning documents. The mixed-use designation was created by the county in order to “create well-designed communities in which people can live, work and recreate” by providing housing and work next to one another, a land use document states.
Commonwealth Green
Commonwealth Green, a 50-acre tract of land near Kiln Creek behind the cinema complex, was approved by the board in February 2012. The mixed-use community will consist of 334 rental apartments, 94 townhouses and 16 other rental units, as well as 40,000 square feet of commercial space, according to a county staff report.
Thomas Tucker, manager of Commonwealth Green LLLP, purchased the 52-acre tract of land behind the Victory Crossing and Village Square shopping centers on Victory Boulevard in and expected to begin construction in August.
A little more than half of the 84 approved apartments are currently under construction and are expected to be completed by April 2015, Tucker said.
Two-, three- and four-bedroom houses are expected to be under construction starting in spring or early summer of next year and will be available for occupancy in late summer or early fall.
The commercial space — consisting of one retail and office building on the ground floor with residential condominiums above it and a separate two-story, 10,000 square-foot commercial building — will be completed in the final phase.
Tucker said he is currently looking for interested parties to move into the two-story commercial building and will start design and construction after obtaining a business.
Projects Near Naval Weapons Station and Coventry
Rose Hill, a 242-unit development, and Silverlake, a 12-unit community, will both be located on Baptist Road off Old Williamsburg Road near the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Both development plans have been approved by the county, said George Fiscella, president of Virginia Enterprises,.
At the intersection of Crawford and Goosley roads, seven houses will eventually form Huntfield. Plans for that development were approved in March.
Down the street on Crawford Road, Battlefield Bluffs, consisting of 93 units, will eventually join Huntfield.
A seven-unit development called Pleasantville is planned behind Patriot Village off Owen Davis Boulevard in Coventry.
Fiscella, who is overseeing Silverlake, Rose Hill, Battlefield Bluffs, Pleasantville and Huntfield, said the developments are still in the beginning stages and roads are expected to be constructed by the end of 2015, with construction on the homes to begin in 2016.
Upper York County Projects
No development plans for the residential portion of the Marquis in Upper York County —consisting of 650 units — have been submitted thus far to the county. The Board of Supervisors approved the residential component in November 2013 along with 136,500 square feet of commercial space. Sam’s Club later announced it would be occupying the commercial space.
Cross said a pre-application plan meeting on the 92 single-family detached homes and the 144 townhouses was held in May, but no site or subdivisions plans have been submitted.
Shawn Todd, developer of the Marquis, could not be reached for comment.
Patrick S. Todd, manager of Williamsburg RE Holding, LLC, submitted a request to the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 3 to extend the Marquis’ special-use permit on the Sam’s Club building and accompanying gas station for another three years.
In a letter to supervisors, Todd said the extension was needed “to provide flexibility with respect to the timing of the construction of the sales component of the Marquis project.”
Supervisors will vote on his request at their Jan. 6 meeting.
Whittaker’s Mill, the county’s most recently approved residential development located near Water Country USA and the Marquis, has not yet submitted subdivision or site plans to the county for review, Principal Planner Tim Cross said in an email.
The 222-home development was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 18 after developers agreed to give the county $600,000 to address school capacity issues in Magruder Elementary School.
The units on Penniman and Winchester roads will consist of 114 single-family homes and up to 108 townhomes with four park areas, a swimming pool and community garden plots.
Busch Properties Inc., who submitted the application, also plans to build a commercial component after the residential portion is complete.
The Board of Supervisors approved the realignment of Water Country Parkway to connect to the intersection of Route 199 and Marquis Parkway in order to ease access to the future shopping center.
All developers must submit site plans to the planning staff and wait for approval by staff and various agencies and offices before beginning construction of the developments. If a developer wishes to build in an area that requires a special-use permit, he or she must receive the consent of the Board of Supervisors before proceeding with the project.
Cross said the time between the Board of Supervisors’ approval and completion of the project varies depending on the development; the average time is two years, but some projects take as long as 10 years to be completed.
