Photos by Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times

In this September photo, a house under construction sits near an old barn on the Black Diamond Ranch in Craig County. When development of the property was proposed, some neighbors worrried that the new homes would drive up their taxes and the houses' owners wouldn't share their love of the land.

Building materials await construction on a lot that is part of the Black Diamond property in the western part of Craig County. Parcels, some of which abut the Jefferson National Forest, began selling in October 2006. All but about 15 of the 103 lots have been sold, and at least one home has been completed. Several others are under construction.

This old barn still stands on the Black Diamond Ranch in Craig County.

Andrew Huffman grew up in the Johns Creek Valley in western Craig County.

It's a spot that exemplifies what Craig County has always been about: an idyllic locale of green fields, sparkling streams, blue mountains and rustic barns.

And for most of Huffman's life, it was nearly all private farmland and public national forest.

But now, two years after it was proposed, a West Virginia company has cut up one of the largest farms in the region -- the 1,700-acre Black Diamond Ranch -- and is selling it as 103 parcels for upscale retirement and vacation homes.

Agricultural land being developed for subdivisions is certainly not new to the region -- just take a drive through Botetourt County or Riner in Montgomery County. But what's happening with the Black Diamond Ranch is entirely new for Craig County, and relatively unique to the region. The parcels range from 5 to about 60 acres, and they are being purchased predominantly from people outside the region from Williamsburg to Florida.

There's been talk of vineyards, an equestrian center and an executive retreat facility on some parcels.

All but about 15 of the 103 parcels have been sold, according to the developer -- and they've been selling even with the economic downturn. The development company VA Hunter LLC hopes the rest could go by the end of the year.

The situation is more than a little scary to some of Huffman's neighbors who protested that it would forever change the character of their rural enclave.

Just more than 50 percent of the county is national forest, a portion of which abuts the Black Diamond property.

Today, Huffman maintains the common areas of the site for VA Hunter, and is philosophical about the times.

"Well, I guess things have to change," he said one early fall day as he mowed the fields beside the picturesque barns and silos at the heart of the old farm.

He said he's content with the change, especially one that provides him a job that keeps him close to home, even as there is just a wisp of regret in his voice.

As log homes and chalets begin to spring up on the former ranch site, a similar wistfulness seems to have replaced the rancor many in the community once felt in the face of changes they feared would corrupt the countryside.

Some may even have joined the county administration in believing that the development is going to be good for the county after all.

Outspoken neighbors worried expensive new homes would drive up their tax bills and that the houses' wealthy owners wouldn't share the old-timers' values for the land.

In the spring and summer of 2006, scores of people came out to public hearings on the plans, which originally included a gate to keep the development private.

Hunter Wilson, owner of VA Hunter, quickly removed that detail.

The Craig County Board of Supervisors was split by the controversy -- one member, the son of the former owner of the ranch -- had to abstain from voting on the various questions it raised.

A majority of board members eventually decided that concerns about the development were unfounded, and parcels began selling in October 2006. The first two went to North Carolina couples.

Today, at least one home has been completed, and several others are under construction.

Property values in Western Virginia have not experienced the wild swing of some other regions, Black Diamond marketing director Don Morin said. "This is a good product, priced right, and buyers will see that value and the beauty and buy."

Wilson's initial investment of about $6 million for the former ranch apparently is paying off.

His company has spent additional money building roads and other amenities, but the sale of lots so far has brought in more than $12 million, according to county court records.

County Administrator Richard Flora, who from the beginning saw numerous pluses in the project, said "the lots are selling much faster than I would have expected, and I think faster than the developer expected."

Although the development is obviously a change from what was a huge farm, Flora expects little insult to the rural character of the region.

It's not exactly a crowded subdivision because of the large individual lots. An extensive set of homeowners association covenants prevents disturbing land along streams, which "shall be kept in their current natural and undisturbed condition."

Others regulate camping on property, protect the viewshed and generally limit development to private residential use.

Four of the larger parcels, accessed only by public roads, "may be utilized for a bed-and-breakfast establishment, corporate retreat purposes, educational facilities, conference center, equestrian facilities (including horse boarding), a fitness and wellness center/health spa/inn and related similar and corresponding uses," according to court documents.

None of those has yet been developed.

Flora said he has heard that some of the new owners are interested in creating vineyards, something the county may want to promote, "and not just for Black Diamond."

And he notes that the development is providing a financial bonus for the county "simply because of the price per acre of the lot," which affects deed recordation fees and real estate tax revenue.

He said he believes that even "full-time residents will not be a burden on the economy of the county because they'll not be needing a lot of services, like schools and social services that cost huge amounts of money." And of the early opposition to the project, "I hear almost nothing about that now. It's pretty well accepted," Flora said.

Morin, the Hunter marketing director, said he was unfamiliar with the initial controversy surrounding the development, but he insisted that "one of the hallmarks of Hunter's organization is that he does what needs to be done. He's an old-school guy and wants to treat you the way he'd want you to treat him."

Wilson declined to be interviewed for this story.

Morin said he believes the new property owners, most of whom live within a three- or four-hour drive of the site, will be good neighbors fulfilling a dream to have a log home or chalet in a beautiful natural setting.

Mack Baker of Summerfield, N.C., is one who says he expects to fit right in. He and his wife were among the first to buy -- in November 2006 -- snapping up a 16-acre parcel that abuts the Jefferson National Forest.

Baker, a 41-year-old dental alloy salesman, lives in a golf-club community about a half-hour south of the Virginia state line. He knows Craig County fairly well, having spent much of his childhood in Roanoke County before his family moved to North Carolina.

The Bakers are fans of financial guru Dave Ramsey, who preaches debt-free living and strict financial self-control.

Baker admits they strayed a bit off the Ramsey line by buying the property on impulse, closing just a couple of weeks after visiting it for the first time. And, in retrospect, he thinks "we may have overpaid for it just a little bit."

Court records indicate he paid $204,900 -- almost $13,000 an acre.

But he's happy with the purchase -- "you can't go wrong with buying property" -- which he expects to have paid off in three or four years.

He and his wife are already enjoying weekend visits and hiking through the tract. Baker said they'll decide what to build after their lot's paid for. He insists it will be neither a log home -- "too high maintenance" -- nor a McMansion. Maybe something built of Hokie stone, he said.

Although at first the couple expected it to be a second home, they said they're already thinking of the possibility of retiring there to "something not completely off the grid, maybe," but taking advantage of solar and wind power.

"It's just something to look forward to," Baker said.

For Charlie Corson of Williamsburg, buying a Black Diamond lot was a bit like coming home.

He and his wife, Robin, a Roanoke native, both graduated from Virginia Tech -- as have their two sons and other relatives.

Charlie Corson was a forestry major at Tech in the mid-1970s and even did some field work near the property he purchased in April.

He and his wife still come back for Tech football weekends.

"This was a good opportunity for me," Corson said. "I just got out of the landscape business after 30 years. I had some money to invest, and I was not excited about the stock market."

Court records indicate he paid $99,900 for his pasture lot.

Corson said he doesn't plan to retire in the valley, and isn't sure if he will even build a house there.

"My wife and I like to camp, so we may get no further than putting a tent up."