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New homes, amenities at lake

November 16, 2007 12:36 am

BY RICHARD AMRHINE

The Lake Anna area may not be completely insulated from the troubled real estate market, but the water does seem to provide a steadying influence and a reason for optimism.

"For the people who buy down here, money is usually not the issue. They have the money," said B.J, Blount, broker for Lake Anna Island Realty and developer of Lake Anna Island resort. "They're just waiting for the right time like everyone else."

Blount said he thinks that continuing development bodes well for the area as prospective buyers wait out their reluctance to act in the current soft market.

For Blount, whose dad, William F. Blount, saw the potential of real estate along the new lake's coves and inlets after it was created in the 1970s, the opportunity to build on what his father began has arrived.

"The rooftops are here," said Blount, which means expanded commercial development around the lake won't be far behind.

There are many longtime businesses such as Anna Point Marina and Chelsea Jo's Restaurant, plus dozens of mostly small-scale residential communities. But as residential development of the Spotsylvania and Louisa shorelines has spread outward and spawned new jobs, more people looking for a recreation-oriented lifestyle have been drawn to the area in search of primary residences. There's no question that market has slowed dramatically.

Here are a few examples what's going on at Lake Anna Island and at a couple of nearby residential communities, Anna Cove and Anna Woods Estates. Boat slips at Lake Anna Island will be offered with homes sold in the two residential communities.

Several other commercial and residential development plans are in the works, including a grocery store along nearby State Route 652, and the 400-lot subdivision Noah's Landing.

LAKE ANNA ISLAND NEARING REALITY

B.J. Blount has lived in the Lake Anna area since before there was a lake, and grew as the region was transformed from rural outpost to lakeside community. He said he used to fish in the North Anna River and hunt in the area where the lake is now.

“The lake has enriched all of the lives at the lake, in my opinion,” he said. “It has brought money and convenience that would have taken years to get here without the lake.”

Now that he’s running his own real estate development company, Lake Anna Island Realty, he’s out to help the area rise to the next level.

Lake Anna Island enjoys a highly visible lakeside location just across the State Route 208 bridge in Louisa County. The resort will include a marina with 400 covered boat slips, a restaurant, retail shops along a boardwalk, a pool and a yacht club.

There are two alternatives for what the main building will be. An outside developer is considering plans to build a five-story hotel and condo building that would have a restaurant and shops on the lower levels. He might need to seek a rezoning depending on the scope of his plans. Blount said he expects to hear soon whether the developer has decided to proceed.

The other option, should the outside company decide against the project, would be a smaller scale hotel and restaurant building that Blount and his company would build. It would include amenities similar to those in the larger project, and already has county approval.

Either way, Blount envisions a setting and facilities that will be ideal for weddings and other private parties, as well as events such as concerts and regattas. He’s looking to open the resort in 2009.

The boat slips are a key component. The first group of slips is nearly complete and a few have already been leased at a pre-completion price of $25,000. The pre-treated wood is toxic-chemical-free, and the blue roof was selected to be “invisible” against the lake water. The slips are available for lease annually, or in a “lease for life” arrangement that allows for transfer to a new owner, or to be sold jointly with a house.

“A house in Fredericksburg can be sold with ‘Lake Anna access,’” Blount explained. “Any house can have lake access.”

The result is that the recreational boater has a place for boat and gear storage without having to haul it all back and forth.

“We want to make Lake Anna a tourism destination,” he said, where people can spend a weekend or a vacation.

HOMES SPEAK ITALIAN AT ANNA COVE

Anna Cove, located off State Route 208 a few miles beyond the Lake Anna bridge, is being developed by Arc–Tek Homes and custom builder Ken Marshall.

There are two “idea homes” at Anna Cove, one of which won first place for homes in its price category and a special merit award in the recent Fredericksburg Area Builders Association Parade of Homes.

Marshall said the houses are called idea homes because “model” suggests a builder’s standard product that is built repeatedly.

“I’ve never built the same home twice,” he said, but he has built close to 300 houses over the years.

Both of the idea homes were given a Tuscan motif, inside and out. The larger of the two, Villa Serena, is offered at $695,000 and has 4,200 square feet of living space plus nearly 1,000 square feet of unfinished space in the basement.

Visit arctekonline.com or contact Blount Realty or Arc–Tek Homes for more information.

The home’s unique attributes begin at the main entrance. A grand double door opens to a covered corridor with a cozy guest suite to the right and an office entrance to the left that is also connected to the main house.

Next comes a courtyard, “open to the sky,” for which Parade of Homes judges presented an award of merit. The courtyard includes a complete outdoor kitchen, fireplace, fountain, and plenty of space to gather with friends or simply relax.

Inside, along a corridor that runs the length of the house, is an island gourmet kitchen, and the dining and living rooms that share a large, double-sided fireplace. Illustrating his attention to detail, Marshall explained that tile and stone used for the fireplace vary in texture on either side for the atmosphere he wanted to convey.

From the granite kitchen counters to the exposed-beams across the living and dining room ceilings, the décor is done in a rich and comfortable contemporary/rustic style.

The entire house is fully furnished and decorated, and a buyer is welcome purchase the house and furnishings as they are.

The master suite is also built for comfort, with another two-sided fireplace shared by bedroom and bathroom. A tub separates the his-and-hers sides of the bathroom, designed to be reminiscent of Thomas Jefferson’s sleeping quarters at Monticello.

The lower level has gathering and gaming areas separated by a full wet bar with barstool seating. A huge unfinished area could be part media room, and part whatever else an owner wanted.

The other house is Villa Campanile, a more compact design that Marshall said shows the luxurious design available to a buyer willing to spend more per square foot of space. It has 2,464 square feet of finished space and is priced at $495,000.

The Tuscan flair is evident throughout, with arched room openings, iron railings, rounded wall corners and an extensive use of tile. The earth tones used for decorating provide a feeling of warmth.

Rear sliding doors open to brick patio with outdoor fireplace.

HORSES WELCOME AT ANNA WOODS

With just six lots over 74 acres, Anna Woods Estates offers not just home sites, but virtual farmettes, says Caroline Rohling who, with husband Kurt, is developing and building the community.

“We could have broken it into seven lots, but figured why not leave it at six nice and big lots?” she said. All six lots are interlaced with running creeks offering a natural water source.

The community is located in southwestern Spotsylvania County along Lawyers Road, just beyond Lake Anna State Park and about five miles off State Route 208.

Caroline Rohling said the company, CKR Homes, has been in business for 28 years first in Northern, and now Central Virginia. Visit the Web site CKRHomes.com to learn more.

The company builds about six houses a year. There are two homes at Anna Woods available for immediate occupancy. The large lots mean horses are welcome at all building sites. Hunters will find significant populations of deer and turkey.

A boat slip at Lake Anna Island is offered with each home.

The Summerfield is a four-bedroom rambler with a full basement that sits on an 8-acre lot. It has about 4,000 square feet of finished living space on the two levels, with hardwood flooring on the main level. The three bedrooms and two baths on the main level are complemented by a wide-open lower level with a fourth bedroom and full bath. The rear deck overlooks a huge cleared area where there’s room for a play area, barn and fenced corrals.

The house is offered at $585,000 through Dockside Realty.

The Newberry is a four-bedroom, 2-bathroom model with three levels. It features 3,100 square feet of finished space on the upper two levels, plus a 1,300-square-foot unfinished walkout basement.

The secluded 12-acre lot can be viewed from from the wraparound porch that meets up with the rear deck. The house has a three-car garage.

The Newberry is offered at $779,000 through Dockside Realty.

Among the features both houses share are jetted master bathroom tubs, marble fireplace surrounds and plenty of recessed lighting.