Neighborhood Close-Up: Creekview

RICHARD SMALLWOOD and his wife, Beth, relish their home with a view of Bennett’s Creek in Suffolk.

“It was just like it was advertised,” said Smallwood, 70, the second homeowner in Creekview.

The neighborhood, tucked off Bennett’s Pasture Road, contains single-family homes on minimum one-third-acre acre lots. Six have deep water access with piers.

The couple relocated from a three-story home in northern Suffolk to the four-bedroom, 2½ -bath home in 2003. It boasts 2,800 square feet.

“We needed more space,” said Smallwood, who added a huge deck and screened-in porch to enjoy the view.

“We have an arm of the creek in our backyard, and we sit out back and enjoy it all of the time,” he added.

Having shared 24 different addresses in 48 years of marriage, the couple is hopeful they can call Creekview home for a long time to come.

One thing that has changed, said Richard, who serves as secretary of the community’s home owners’ association, is the continuous growth of the area.

“When we first moved out here people said, 'You’re moving where?’” Smallwood said.

That’s why Jack and Carolyn Lewis made Creekview their home in September 2002. They were the community’s first residents .

A Realtor with All Pros Realty, Jack Lewis is exposed to developments every day, but remains proud of Creekview.

“It’s a nice neighborhood. Everyone takes pride in keeping their homes looking nice, the neighbors are friendly, and it’s a nice blend of empty nesters as well as young families with children of all ages,” he said.

Both young and old enjoy community gatherings in the common areas.

“This is just a wonderful place to live and will become an even more wonderful place in time,” said Smallwood, noting another section of adjacent farmland may very well one day be Creekview II.

Sandra J. Pennecke, pennecke@cox.net