It Takes A New Village
Posted by Elsa Rake on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 4:25pm.Old Town Fredericksburg is one of the Commonwealth's most popular tourist locations. Its "quaintness" factor makes it a "must do" when visiting this region. With the historic sites, featured attractions, brick walk-ways bordered by stores and restaurants, Old Town is full of attractions for the entire family.
While reproducing the originality of Fredericksburg isn't possible, recreating its atmosphere is.
Bringing the old town atmosphere into the present is a popular trend that's manifested itself in the development of new towns across America since the 1980s. This New Urbanism, the urban planning and and real estate development movement which arose in the last couple of decades, has made its mark recently in New Town Williamsburg, and is the model for Spotsylvania's current development, Courthouse Village.
Williamsburg's pedestrian and consumer friendly new development has already attracted an abundance of businesses and property buyers. Its unique combination of offices, shops, entertainment, and housing options offers other area alternatives than those of the historical section. In Spotsylvania, developer Bill Vakos III, an executive with W.J. Vakos & Co, has begun development of something similar.
Vakos' plans call for a town square with concerts and other entertainment. He wants a grocery store, gas station, numerous restaurants, a Civil War themed museum and a 38-room hotel within the 12 blocks of sidewalks. With construction underway, plans are to complete the development during the next decade. In line with the objectives of new urbanism, the goal is for residents, if they so desire, to live comfortably without an automobile, where most of the daily activities are located within walking distance and are connected by attractive streets and public spaces.
A community's allure is often directly related to quality of life. New developments like those in Williamsburg and Spotsylvania Village seek to meet the twin goals of building convenience for consumers while responsibly cultivating the areas resources. For any community, or village, those seem like objectives worth waiting for.
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