Kennington: New construction is underway in King William County’s first master-planned community

Kennington – King William County’s first master-planned community – is growing again, with a new section of age-restricted carriage homes now open for sales and a local homebuilder set to get started on a new group of single-family homes.

Hanover County-based RCI Builders, which has been active in the 400-acre community since its groundbreaking, is constructing the 31 carriage homes in the age-restricted Kennington Meadows neighborhood. And Henrico County-based Vertical Builders – new to the community – recently bought homesites for six single-family homes.

In addition, Denver, Colo.-based Richmond American Homes is building 53 single-family homes in the community.

Two other builders have already completed their sections in Kennington, which is located at the intersection of State Route 360 and Kennington Parkway South. Lakeside-based StyleCraft built 36 townhomes, and Irmo, S.C.-based Mungo Homes completed 30 single-family homes.

Roughly 100 homes remain to be built.

“When it’s finished, Kennington will have 482 homes,” said Todd Rogers, who co-owns RCI with Mike Chenault and Patrick Ashley. “Of those, RCI will build approximately 350.”

Rogers and Chenault also cofounded and co-own Rogers-Chenault Inc., which is developing Kennington.

The new round of construction marks another turning point for a community that entered early planning stages more than 20 years ago. Rogers-Chenault bought the site in 2004 and spent more than $3 million bringing public utilities to the area. Builders began home construction in 2009, as the Great Recession put the brakes on home buying nationwide.

After a slow start, the community’s sales picked up as the economy improved, and sales today are strong.

“We’re selling four to five houses per month, across the board,” Rogers said.

And there’s more to come for the community.

“We’ve finished developing all the residential areas of Kennington, but we have some commercial areas still left,” Rogers said. “The commercial components will be a combination of office, retail, flex office and warehouse-type space.”

Home stats and sales

Sizes for the homes in Kennington range from 1,130 to 3,800 square feet. Prices range from the upper $300,000s to the upper $600,000s.

The community’s amenities include a clubhouse, a swimming pool, a kids’ pool and a playground, as well as a sports field and walking trails.

Rogers said he attributes the community’s strong sales to the fact that it’s an established community with longstanding homeownership.

“Kennington hasn’t had a lot of resales, and all the amenities are completed,” he said. “So you don’t have to wonder about what’s coming next.”

Plus, the community has move-in ready options, which is especially important in a real estate market with low inventory.

“Right now, RCI has five move-in ready homes, and Richmond American Homes has four more,” Rogers said. “As we near end of year, that’ll be important for buyers who want to move in before the holidays.”

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