When Baltimore County officials approved plans for the Honeygo development near White Marsh five years ago, they expected builders to sell 50 homes a year in the community, at most.

But only 18 months into the project, more than 250 homes have been sold, and work is about to begin on 191 more. While Honeygo's success has builders and home buyers rejoicing, Perry Hall residents worry that county services aren't keeping pace.

"This is an area that has such tremendous potential, but it is going to require close scrutiny by the county," said David Marks, president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association. "This is our last shot."

The 3,000-acre project covers the last large, undeveloped parcel outside the rural, northern county. With 4,800 planned houses, apartments and condominiums, Honeygo is to be Baltimore County's antidote to the steady exodus of homebuyers to Harford and Carroll counties.

To assure that the community appeals to buyers moving up from starter homes, the county has enacted strict guidelines requiring liberal use of brick on the homes, abundant parkland, a town center on a village green and streets designed to link neighborhoods in a way that traditional suburban cul-de-sac developments don't.

"This is supposed to be for upward mobility," said County Councilman Vincent J. Gard- ina, a Per ry Hall Democrat who represents the area.

Edward A. Personnette, the developer of Perry Hall Farms, which is in the Honeygo area, appreciates the county's intentions. "What I like is the county is getting into a quality standard," he said.

Although his project predates Honeygo and is exempt from many of the county's requirements, he has made an effort to duplicate that sense of an upscale community by planting more trees and flowers than required and using more brick on homes, he said.

Homes in Honeygo range from condominiums selling for $100,000 to single-family homes selling for about $350,000.

Essential to Honeygo's development is the assurance that adequate roads, parks and schools will be in place. County officials said they learned their lessons in Owings Mills, where delays in obtaining parkland cost the county millions of dollars, and a new elementary school is only now being built -- 15 years after the community was created.

Unexpected delays

In Honeygo, the county is confronting unexpected delays.

A sewer extension might be stalled by the discovery of Native American artifacts in its path. The construction of Honeygo Boulevard -- essential to relieve congestion on local roads -- has been delayed for several months by state and federal regulatory agencies. Efforts to obtain parkland have run into resistance from landowners.

"We always knew once construction began the houses would sell like hot cakes," said Marks. "We didn't expect the delays on the [infrastructure] projects."

Until all services are in place, Honeygo's growth is limited to about 700 new homes that are part of projects the county already has approved.

Those projects include part of the 1,100-unit Perry Hall Farms; the 191-home Glenside Farms, expected to start this week; and some small developments.

Apartments and the community's commercial center, which will include a village green with shops and offices to serve the 10,000 to 12,000 Honeygo residents, must await the completion of Honeygo Boulevard and the new sewer line.

County officials say Honeygo's popularity caught them by surprise. "You can plan for 100 years and not know what is going to happen in the next moment," said Planning Director Arnold F. Keller.

Responding to the demand, County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger sped up funding for a 200-seat addition to a nearby elementary school.

Builders said they knew all along there was a pent-up demand for new housing in the area.

"Perry Hall is hot," said Paul Amirault, vice president of Maryland Landmark Homes, which built 48 single-family homes in Honeygo. He expected to be working at Perry Hall Farms for 2 1/2 years, but sold out of houses in 14 months.

Said builder Lawrence Macks, president of Macks & Macks Inc., which is building Honeygo's commercial district: "Baltimore County is a very desirable place, and there are very few places you can build new houses."

Mary and Todd Fletcher are the kind of homebuyers the county hoped Honeygo would attract.

The couple lived in a Perry Hall apartment after they married, but bought their first home in Harford County five years ago because they found the prices more affordable. After their children were born, they wanted more space and began looking to move back to Baltimore County.

"I loved Perry Hall when we lived here," Mary Fletcher said. "It seemed like a nice, family place."

'I like the look'

Soon after the sales offices went up in Honeygo, the Fletchers bought a four-bedroom Colonial. "I like the community," Todd Fletcher said. "The way the land is laid out, the tree-lined streets. I like the look."

The county has paid particular attention to Honeygo's appearance and considered parks and open space crucial. But the county has had trouble securing land from owners seeking higher prices from developers.

"They're moving slower than I want," Gardina said.

The completion of Honeygo Boulevard to provide easy access to Interstate 95 and the Beltway also has suffered delays. Charles R. Olsen, director of the Department of Public Works, said the county was to have advertised for bids in April, but has pushed that back at least seven months while it examines the environmental impact.

"It's not uncommon that things come up that take longer than anticipated because we have to do further investigation," Olsen said. Construction should start in April 2000 and be completed by December 2001, he added.

The start of a $2.7 million sewer project, scheduled for this summer, also could be delayed. The Maryland Historical Trust has determined that an archaeological study must be conducted because Native American artifacts were found in an initial survey.

Worries premature

An elementary school is supposed to be built in the community. But officials say they don't know if and when the project will be built on the county-owned land.

Still, Keller said worries about delays in supplying infrastructure are premature and that Honeygo will not proceed too far until the services are in place.

Builders say they aren't worried yet, either.

Though Macks' commercial project at Honeygo is six months behind schedule and must await a new road and sewer line, he's optimistic. "It's exciting that there finally is the opportunity to do something really nice on the east side of the county," he said.

Sun staff writers Dennis O'Brien and Joan Jacobson contributed to this article.

Pub Date: 3/21/99