Peninsula In Passage

Eric Sasser Even before he began building custom homes in the Riverfront section of Harbour View, Eric Sasser was drawn to the wooded property and waterfront where he spent hours running with Cody, his golden retriever, at his side. “There are pristine marshes and lots of wildlife along there. Cody and I would run down to the shoreline and even saw sea turtles there,” he says. Sasser, owner of Sasser Construction, LC, has been building custom homes in Hampton Roads since 1986. When the Riverfront opened in about 2000 he saw an opportunity to work with its unique ambiance. “The waterfront is a blessing that allows us to do things here we couldn’t do elsewhere to blend in with nature,” he says.

Inspired by the heritage of the Bennett’s Creek area, Sasser designed a house, the Riverhouse, a contemporary interpretation of a traditional farmhouse. “Very Americana,” he says. “I designed it to have the flavor of the Suffolk community. So many people moving in here don’t know that this was all farms before.” The house has been one of his most popular designs, drawing crowds of visitors when he built the first one on a cul de sac of model homes in 2000 when the Riverfront first opened. He laughs as he remembers sales agents asking him to close the model because the numbers of curious people wanting to

tour the home were consuming their time. Sasser, who was the 2010 Southern Living Member Builder of the Year, is also developing the Waterfront at Parkside, a community of 177 homes along Bennett’s Creek. A water overlook on the heavily treed property offers views that stretch across the creek to one of the vintage Eberwine farmhouses and their old cannery. The Eberwines processed spinach, collards and other greens from local truck farms and canned them with the Eberwine label to be sent all over the East Coast. The new community, imbedded in rural history, reflects that heritage with its traditional, craftsman and euro-cottage style architecture and small town atmosphere while incorporating contemporary amenities. “The growth in this area will continue,” Sasser predicts. “Route 17 will be developed with new communities all the way to the James River Bridge.”

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