Peninsula In Passage

Branch Lawson

Early on Branch Lawson knew the North Suffolk area was about to blossom with more buildings than crops. Lawson, Senior Partner with East West Communities of Virginia and President of the company’s Hampton Roads division, started developing in the Hampton Roads area in 1987 with the Gatling Pointe project in Smithfield - and watched the North Suffolk peninsula. “We knew it was a viable area for a master planned community,” he says. “Gatling Pointe and Bennett’s Creek Landing started at the same time but Gatling Pointe took off successfully while Bennett’s Creek Landing was slow to develop. Then the Monitor- Merrimac bridge tunnel opened and real estate in Bennett’s Creek Landing sold out.” Their first attempts to buy land

in the Harbour View area were unsuccessful; the property went to the Jorman Group. However, in 1999, another opportunity arose and “we were full steam ahead by 2000,” he says. The Riverfront, a high-end custom home community of winding streets, cul de sacs, water views and plenty of amenities, will max out at about 1500 homes and is, according to Lawson, almost there. “My family lives here. It takes a little guts to live in the community you build but 99% of what I hear is positive,” he says. “We are at the center of the Hampton Roads community with everything easily accessible. People who live in this area – long time or new residents, love the natural beauty, the water access and the quick access to the beaches. It’s a wonderful environment people truly seem to love.”

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