Historic home, its family to remain as houses, buildings, park rise nearby

by Lindsay Kastner - Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
Richmond Times - Dispatch. Richmond, Va.: Feb 3, 2002.

Perhaps opposites really do attract.

On Pole Green Road, three-tenths of a mile off Interstate 295 in Hanover County, a project is under way that marries new development with historic preservation.

Bell Creek will include 535 single-family homes, including some for active adults; a 157-acre business park; and a 20-acre retail area - all nestled alongside a 124-acre historic park.

"You achieve more through cooperation than you do by being adversarial," said developer Andy Shield, who is spearheading both the Bell Creek community and the adjacent park.

The park will preserve Rural Plains, the home where Patrick Henry married Sarah Shelton in 1754. That house and its surrounding property have been passed from Shelton father to Shelton son since the early 1600s.

William R. Shelton shows Rural Plains, the home he and his relatives have lived in for centuries in Hanover County. The house will remain in place as a historic park is built around it along with new housing.

"It's never had a deed. It's just recorded in the courthouse through wills," said William R. Shelton, the ninth generation to live on the property.

Shelton and his wife have no heirs with whom to leave the property, but the preservation efforts mean the land can be opened to the public and remain free from development.

"His simple wish was to preserve the legacy of his family's history," Shield said.

The Sheltons were given "life rights," meaning they can remain on the property as long as they wish.

"I'm interested in spending the rest of my days here, and I'm 82 years old now," Shelton said.

Eventually the historic park will be dedicated to the National Park Service. Walking trails will be built throughout the park and visitors will be able to view trenches from the Civil War Battle of Totopotomoy Creek in addition to the Rural Plains home, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A footbridge connects the community's residential area to the park.

As long as the Sheltons remain on the property, the public will be able to access only part of the park.

"In other words, it will be phased in," Shield said.

The Sheltons can go on living as they have been - running a nursery business and raising English boxwoods on the property - but they will have the security of knowing that their historic home will be well preserved.

"I think the important story here is that this is a joint preservation and development project," Shield said.

Long mired in the pursuit of rezoning, Bell Creek proposals were revised last year and finally won approval of county supervisors in November.

Since then the project has moved along quickly with pre-sales already under way and construction on a model scheduled to begin in early March.

Sally Slate, broker and president of Realty Partners Inc., said she hopes to have the neighborhood's first homeowners moved in this summer.

Single-family homes at Bell Creek will start in the low $200,000s, Slate said.

Standard features include a home security system, a continuous- flow water heater and a structured wiring system for phone, media and entertainment.

"We're trying to be a step ahead for our homes, technology-wise," Slate said.

Homes will have 9-foot ceilings on the first floor and walk-up attics on the third. "We want the owners to feel that they can finish off that third floor," Slate said.

But despite all the standard features, buyers will have a variety of distinct floor plans from which to choose. Many of the plans offer optional additions such as a covered porch or an extra study.

"It's really important to us that this is not a cookie-cutter neighborhood," Slate said.

Homes will sit on landscaped lots, some as large as a half-acre but most a bit smaller. "Over a quarter and under a third is what they really work out to be," Slate said.

The neighborhood will include a pool, tennis courts and a clubhouse.

Sally Slate, president of Realty Partners, presents what will become Bell Creek, a new development combining single family residences, an active adult community, a business park and a 124-acre public park that preserves a historic tract of land.

Buyers get both worlds

While the ultimate goal of the historic park may be the preservation of a local treasure, Slate said it will serve as a unique asset to Bell Creek homeowners as well.

Residing between a historic park and retail/business area will offer buyers both a window on history and the convenience of a modern, planned community.

The commercial area will provide residents with easy access to essentials. "You won't have to leave the site for the incidentals of daily living," Shield said.

Among the businesses slated for the community are a Food Lion, a 7- 11 and a day care center. Slate said she also envisions shops, restaurants and maybe a dry-cleaning business.

The business and retail areas will be aesthetically designed with an Innsbrook-like feel, Slate said.

"The 7-11 is going to look like something out of Williamsburg," she said.

Units designed for seniors

A portion of the community will be reserved for active adult homes.

These attached units will offer first-floor living opportunities for seniors. The 87 units will be handicapped adaptable and will include senior-friendly features like showers with benches.

The active-adult community will have its own pool and clubhouse.

Shield said he hopes to see "interplay between the generations" in both segments of the community.

At the clubhouses Slate said she'd like to see activities directors helping to organize neighborhood events. "You could have Easter parades and a pumpkin patch," she said.

"What I think a lot of these people are looking for is the community, not just a neighborhood thrown out there," Slate said.