The rest of Hampton Roads is waking up to what we in Western Tidewater have known for years: The town of Windsor is a jewel.

Located at the crossroads of Route 460 and Route 258 in Isle of Wight County, Windsor offers its residents the attractive combination of small-town living and easy access to the goods and services of the Hampton Roads metropolis.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a couple of Virginia Beach developers want to build 212 homes in a 42-acre development on North Court Street across from Windsor Middle School.

Look for such proposals to become more frequent in the years ahead as the housing economy rebounds and the Route 460 commercial corridor continues to develop.

The challenge for town planners will be to achieve the elusive goal of controlled growth. A town as attractive as Windsor can’t help but grow. The key is to manage that growth so that essential services such as public schools and police and fire protection are not overwhelmed along the way.

Give some credit to developers of the proposed Cambridge at Windsor project for early transparency regarding their plans. Last week, representatives of Napolitano Homes and Franciscus Homes held a public meeting at the Windsor Ruritan Building to share their plans with the community even before they apply for rezoning of the property.

We encourage citizens to keep an open mind as details unfold and town officials do due diligence on the proposed development. The process will be good practice for a community that will be sizing up many such proposals over the next few years.