A large oak tree guards the wide entrance road. More oaks line the street as it parallels and then skims past the James Island Youth Soccer Club fields. A half-mile in, the street opens up, and there's an emerging neighborhood - nestled between the sports complex and forests buffering Clark Sound.
The village is Eaglewood Retreat, a new subdivision planned for 64 cottages, Charleston single homes and townhomes. Contractors have finished a handful of the 20 cottages and are nearing completion of the first of 18 single homes. Crews are expected to break ground any day on 26 townhomes.
"It's so very relaxing to ride down there, certainly the serenity to go down through those trees," said Jim Beckham, owner of builder Landura Homes. Simply put, Eaglewood Retreat is "a great location," said xxxx, sales agent. He has sold 29 lots.
At the same time, plans are under way to construct an amenities center to include a swimming pool and enclosed pavilion with fireplace. Another attraction is the 5-foot-wide sidewalks throughout the community.
The dwellings, all two stories and three bedrooms, are well suited for retirees, empty-nesters whose children are grown and young professionals just starting families, Beckham said.
Landura crafted a series of home designs. Common features include fiber-cement exterior siding, hardwood floors on the first levels and Corian countertops in the well-stocked kitchens. Gas heat and water are standard and appliances are optional. Homes have energy-efficient Rinnai on-demand water heaters. Local professional Elaine Segelken of Summerville is the interior designer and chose exterior colors, and Georgia Toney of Summerville is the house plan designer. HLA Inc. in Charleston drew up the land plan and renderings.
The houses aren't custom built but "we are more flexible (than many home builders). We allow more changes," Beckham said.
The 2,200-2,300-square-foot cottages are the largest and most expensive, priced at $395,000-$420,000. Single homes, costing $355,000-$365,000, run from 1,900 to 2,000 square feet. The townhomes, at 1,600-1,900 square feet, are priced at $330,000 and up. Eaglewood Retreat will have half as many dwellings as the 128 housing units allowed under the property's zoning by the city of Charleston.
Landura and the developer James Island Associates, (the general partner is Raleigh-based EYC Companies), look to finish construction by April 2007. "We expect to be sold out by the end of the year," Beckham said.
Eaglewood Retreat also teamed up with the neighboring soccer club to improve the entrance to both properties. The city required a paved road to connect the neighborhood, previously attached by a dirt road.
The developer then installed a rock base on the former unimproved parking spaces at the soccer complex, which the club paid to be paved.
While based in Dorchester County, Beckham is well familiar with the Fort Johnson Road corridor of James Island. He was involved in the 18-year development of Bayview Farms subdivision, which abuts Eaglewood Retreat on the west side. He was employed by Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Landura Capital, which withdrew from the Charleston area after completing Bayview. Beckham, meanwhile, started his own company under the Landura Homes name.
"I'm more excited about this than anything I've ever done," he said.
To get to Eaglewood Retreat from downtown Charleston, take the James Island connector to the Harbor View Road exit. Turn right onto Harbor View and proceed to Fort Johnson Road. Turn right on Fort Johnson and continue about a mile. The entrance to Eaglewood Retreat is on the left, just past the James Island soccer fields.
Neighborhood
Eaglewood Retreat
County
Charleston County
Developer, marketing
James Island Associates, Landura Homes
Home, townhome sizes
1,600 to 2,300 square feet
Typical features
Fiber-cement siding
Garages
Two stories
Area attractions
James Island County Park, Charleston Municipal Golf Course, Fort Johnson Marine Biological Station, James Island Youth Soccer Club.
Distance to downtown Charleston
8 miles
