There is something about an empty pool of glimmering turquoise on a hot and cloudless day that demands unforgiving restraint in the workaday world.

But this new blue pool, and the colorful condominiums that surround it just over the bridge to the island, shamelessly invite lazy summer days of hedonistic overindulgence.

Don’t confuse the empty pool and parking lot with a notion that the new Sunset Bay condos aren’t selling. In a good real-estate market, they’re gold.

But in a housing market that continues to report downturns across the country and locally, 31 of these waterfront, two-bedroom, two-bath units have sold since March 15.

In all, more than 40 of the 72 units, some still under construction, are under contract.

“It’s very difficult to sell a product before you actually have it on the market,” said Todd Burbage, who helps run the family business, Blue Water Development of West Ocean City, with his father and founder, Jack Burbage, and brother, John.

Original plans called for 105 units in three phases, but the developers, who have partnered on this project with Freddie Obrecht of Obrecht-Phoenix in Hunt Valley, Md., aren’t ready to say what comes after Phase II.

They have focused on the first two sections since announcing the plans at a swank cocktail reception at Chincoteague Inn last April.

Plans for Phase III, on the restaurant site, are still on the drawing board, Burbage said.

The three-story buildings, easily seen rising from the waterfront to the south of the Chincoteague causeway while traveling to the island, evoke a sense of a close-knit row house or town home community. Varied architectural features add interest, while the range of colors suggests attached homes.

“We came down here and we loved the area and the flow of the buildings,” Burbage said. “So we tried to include those architectural features into the buildings, so they didn’t stick out like a sore thumb.”

He points to a yellow shingle house adjacent to the condo entrance, calling it a “quintessential Chincoteague house,” and noting the similarities.

The place was built to last, too.

The plastic sheeting over the bulkheading carries a 50-year warranty. The marina was built by BIC Inc., a local firm.

Jack Tarr did the electrical work and Thornton Services Inc. did the heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

“I estimate that on any given day there can be up to 100 different people on the job,” Burbage said. “We try to use as many local contractors and subs as we can.”

Burbage pointed out the size of the elevator — all of the units have exterior access only — and its tile floors and mahogany walls. It’s tall and oversized for homeowners who have never before experienced condo living and are intent on bringing their supersized furniture

The concept is to offer everything low-maintenance, he said, so retirees and other homeowners don’t have to do anything except enjoy the lifestyle.

Inside, each unit features a master bedroom with his-and-her closets and master bath, a second bedroom and hall bath, kitchen, dining area and living room, den and utility room. Each condo also includes an exterior locked storage area for beach and fishing gear.

Though similar in the basics, each unit comes with a long list of options and ranges in size from 1,650 to about 2,100 square feet. There are 12 different floor plans to choose from and prices go from $439,900 to $599,900.

Back outside, a deck wraps around the entire complex. Residents can enjoy walking around the whole perimeter, taking in the pool, hot tub, waterfront, marina and condos. A covered promenade will connect the two housing sections and provide access from the parking area to the marina.

“The marina brings the community together,” Burbage said. “It’s a place to congregate and just be neighbors, the way it used to be. The way Chinco-teague is. Everyone owns the water.”

Burbage would prefer to have some wiggle room on the parking area.

“If it were a perfect scenario, we’d like to spend the money to tear out the asphalt and landscape and — owners have told us they’d like a pet area,” he said. “It would be an enhancement to the community, not just Sunset Bay, but to the Chincoteague community.”

Information from: www.delmarvanow.com

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