Chat with Chris (FAQ's)

Chris Schooley, Director of Land Development, answers any questions you may have about Belvedere.

 

 

Will there be a beautification of the entrance to Belvedere? Also, will there be a traffic light installed there?

We are working closely with our landscape architects to design an entrance that fits the values of Belvedere. We have heard many people ask us exactly where the entrance is on Rio Road, so we are working diligently to make the entrance to Belvedere more of a landmark. As far as the narrowness of the entrance and its relationship to traffic, we have worked closely with traffic engineers, VDOT and the County to design a road that responds to the traffic conditions. With left turn lanes in and out of Belvedere, I can assure you that the design is more than sufficient to handle projected traffic loads. Currently, VDOT says that Belvedere does not warrant a signal, but our traffic analysis shows that it will warrant a signal at some point during the build out. We will be approaching VDOT in December to discuss the option of adding the traffic light to coincide with the Meadowcreek opening in 2010.

The Free State Bridge is in pretty poor condition. What will happen to fix it?

Actually, VDOT has been on site to assess the railroad bridge (which is owned by the railroad), and decided to shut it down for several weeks in order to make repairs.   This set of repairs is in no way connected to Belvedere, but we are encouraged that VDOT is taking an active role in assessing this bridge even though they do not own it.  

Now that SOCA will be included in Belvedere, what are thoughts on the traffic increase?

We appreciate that people are concerned about this point.  Our early studies indicate that SOCA will cause a marginal 5% increase in traffic. We are still working out the plans for each facility that SOCA will have, but when those plans are final we will be able to clearly show how this pattern will work.

Will Fairview Swim & Tennis Club be spruced up?

The existing club is submitting a site plan for improvements including a new Olympic-sized lap pool, and improvements to landscaping, the parking lot and the clubhouse. The club's existing facilities consist of 3 pools: a large 6-lane, 25 meter pool with a diving well, and 2 toddler pools. There is also a shaded play and picnic area, a snack bar, 4 hard-surfaced, lighted tennis courts, a tennis backboard, a basketball court, and a sand volleyball court. The large pool and diving well are open to the outside in the summer, and heated and covered with an Air Structure for winter swimming.

Will there be more housing plans with a first-floor living option for seniors?

The builders have received similar feedback over the last month and are working on alternatives to exchange formal living rooms for first-floor master bedrooms in almost all of their models.   We have found that the 55+ demographic is certainly interested in living in a vital neighborhood, but is not necessarily interested in being in a senior controlled development.  Our marketing has focused heavily on families this summer, but it is our intention to perform gradual shifts in our message to reach different demographics.  For instance, we started advertising Green, moved to families (with the SOCA announcement), and will be focusing on empty nesters, women, and other groups in 2008.  We have been working on our wide townhome product, which will be adjacent to the Town Center and will be nearly 30 feet wide with the option for an elevator.  This product should meet the needs of many people who desire flexibility in their lifestyle, while not being in a senior community.

If we were to buy in during Phase I, how much construction should we expect with additional phases?  How is it going to affect quality of life?

We think this is a great opportunity for Belvedere to set a higher standard for the development community.   It has become commonplace for new subdivisions to look like construction sites for long periods of time.  Our plan is to focus construction in sections of 20 to 30 homes, then move on to another section, minimizing the combination of construction activity and residents.  We also have plans for construction traffic to bypass the first sections of the neighborhoods while under construction.  Sure, we will be building houses at Belvedere for 5 to 7 years, and it will be a construction site, but by focusing the builders on keeping clean sites, having strict construction times for starting and stopping work, and being open to our residents about future plans, we feel like it can be a very exciting time for new residents.

Will the cottages be done during the first phase?  

The 12 cottages have received incredible interest and we look forward to building more in Phases 2-4.  The initial set will be adjacent to the Belvedere Town Center, offering not only a more affordable alternative option for future Belvedere residents, but also incredible access to the amenities provided in the Town Center.  We anticipate the cottages will be available at the end of Phase 1, sometime in 2009.