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Colonial Beach planners weigh proposal for gated community

Colonial Beach planners consider townhomes, stores at Monroe Bay site

By FRANK DELANO

Date published: 4/29/2003

Condos, marinas on Monroe Bay?

The Colonial Beach Planning Commission is set to consider plans for 252 townhouses and condominiums within a gated community on Monroe Bay.

Called Monroe Point, the residential development proposed by a Maryland company would occupy 38 acres of a 50-acre tract on McKinley Boulevard (State Route 205) opposite Beach Gate Shopping Center. Twelve acres along the highway would be used for a 150,000-square-foot shopping center with 750 parking spaces.

The tract of cut-over timber is zoned agricultural. In a rezoning application filed with Colonial Beach, Chesapeake Realty Ventures L.L.C. of Baltimore is seeking planned unit development zoning for the residential area and C-1 commercial zoning for the rest, town Planning and Zoning Director Brian E. Hooten said.

Hooten said the proposed uses conform generally to Colonial Beach's comprehensive plan, which designates the property's highway frontage for commercial development and the rest of the property for low-density residential development.

Hooten said low-density is defined as one to four residential units per acre. Under Chesapeake Realty's proposal, 6.6 residential units would occupy each acre of Monroe Point.

The town's comprehensive plan, however, allows higher densities if a project "is conducive to the surrounding community and appropriate measures are instituted to protect the wetlands."

In a statement filed with its rezoning application, the developer said it has designed the project to Westmoreland County's "significantly more rigorous 16 percent maximum impervious cover [asphalt, concrete or other nonporous materials] rather than the town's 36 percent maximum."

In addition, it said the project will benefit the community by providing "much-needed, high-quality housing stock" that will "set a standard for subsequent development."

Hooten said the developers plan to sell condo units for about $175,000 and townhouses for about $200,000. Tennis courts, a swimming pool, two marinas and piers with 159 boat slips are also planned.

The Planning Commission will begin its review of Monroe Park at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Town Center meeting room. The Colonial Beach Town Council and Westmoreland Board of Supervisors also must approve the rezoning.

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Date published: 4/29/2003