Homearama, developer’s dream for boyhood playground

By Staci Dennis
Correspondent

A few decades ago, a parcel of land in the heart of Chesapeake's Deep Creek was Tim Culpepper's childhood playground.

As a young boy, he explored the area that butted up against the Great Dismal Swamp. He spen t his summers hunting, fishing, camping and riding his bike through some of the 488 acres that his family owned.

"In the summer, we would pick watermelons and cantaloupe to sell," said Culpepper, who graduated from Deep Creek High School in 1989. "It seemed like there was always something to do on the farm."

The property, which is being developed by Robinson Development Group into Culpepper Landing, has been in the Culpepper family for 83 years. It is also the site of Homearama 2009.

Leroy Culpepper, Tim's great-grandfather, was the last person in the family to farm the fields, which yielded corn, wheat, soybeans and other produce. After Leroy stopped farming, the land was leased to another local farmer.

Today, the acreage is being transformed into a mixed-use neighborhood complete with 150-acre conservation area. When complete, Culpepper Landing will feature 785 single-family homes, 135 multi-family homes and 85 row houses as well as 40,000 square feet of commercial space in its Merchantile District.

"This is a great way to share the property my family has loved all these years," said Culpepper, vice president of Robinson Development Group. "Now the new families will be able to create their own memories here."

The 38-year-old started working on development plans in early 2004. He was directly involved with designing the community's master plan.

"This was one of the last large tracks of land left in the city," the Chesapeake resident said. "We knew ultimately the property would be developed, but we wanted to take the time to make the right decisions on when and how that would be done."

Construction started about 18 months ago, Phase 1 is about 50 percent complete. A grand opening celebration was held in November, residents already live in some homes. The remainder of Culpepper Landing will be in several phases over the next five to seven years.

"When complete there will be housing available to people in all prices ranges," Doreen Giuliano, site manager at Culpepper Landing, said.

Prices start at $299,900 for the row house and go up to $449,900 for the single-family homes. These prices do not reflect Homearama prices because of the additional upgrades.

"This neighborhood is built on a wonderful plan," said Joan Revell, also a site manager at Culpepper Landing. "It's a new and different kind of lifestyle people are looking for today."

Plans for the neighborhood include children's parks, a dog area, paths and walkways through the conservation area, an aquatic center, campsites, a swinging bridge over a designated waterway, boat slips and a community garden area. The eco-friendly Drummond Lodge and Conference Center will cater to events and meetings, banquets and seminars, while the Merchantile District will have small shops and service-related businesses.

"The design of this neighborhood is going to be a showcase for the city," Culpepper said. "People will come from across the nation to see how this neighborhood works and then model it in their own towns."

Staci Dennis, sdennis@cox.net