Belmont Forest is one of the first new Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND) modeled after authentic American small towns. The master plan and other documents were prepared during a week-long charrette led by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk in September 1988. Significant architectural, historical, and cultural study of classic Virginia towns formed the basis for the crafting of the plan.

The master plan integrates public and private uses into a traditional urban grid system of streets, squares, parks, and amenities. Its primary concerns are an emphasis on human scale and ensuring pedestrian accessibility to everyday needs. At the same time, the plan accommodates the automobile as the primary mode of transportation. In addition, the master plan offers a practical alternative to the isolation of new conventional suburban communities, office parks, and retail shopping centers by aspiring to integrate uses that are generally separated by current development practices. The design is both timeless and timely, offering Belmont citizens, their neighbors, and visitors an authentic community.

The master plan originally called for 793 residences, 164,000 square feet of retail space, and 365,000 square feet of office space. Also included were a church, an elementary school, parks, and other recreational facilities. Approximately 200 families occupied the first phase when, regrettably, the project was given back to the lender by the developer. Another developer has since purchased the property and revised the master plan and code considerably. They are now executing the remainder of the project.

 

project tearsheet: 160 Kb PDF file