Fort Stewart soldier Capt. Jonathan Manley, wife Stephanie and daughters Savannah, 9, Cloe, 4, and Bristol, 19 months, are among the first military families to move into Marne View, a 94-unit family housing development for officers. The Manleys, Fort Stewart officials and Balfour Beatty Communities executives cut the ribbon on Marne View on Friday. Balfour Beatty built the three- and four-bedroom, two and a half bath duplex homes.

“It’s definitely an upgrade,” Manley said.

“We really enjoy having the playground in the backyard,” Stephanie Manley said. “We want our kids to be happy and active.”
“We didn’t live in anything like this when we were coming up as captains,” Fort Stewart Garrison Commander Col. Kevin Milton said. He said the strength of the Army relies on its families, adding that soldiers are happy when their families are happy. The colonel said the “Norman Rockwell-like” development is centrally located to installation facilities, such as the commissary and PX, Club Stewart and Stewart Lanes.

“Our first (Marne View) units opened in August,” Milton said. “We expect completion in December.”

Since the Army transferred an aging inventory of 2,926 homes at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield to Balfour Beatty Communities in November 2003, 1,491 new homes have been built, 1,490 existing homes have been renovated and 811 old homes have been demolished, according to Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson. 

The new community is part of a multi-phased development project for soldiers and their families at Fort Stewart, Larson said. These new units have walk-in closets, ceiling fans, covered porches, energy-efficient appliances and two car garages, he said. In addition, three new playgrounds were built for the new on-post community, according to Larson.

Milton said existing units in Marne Homes, an older post housing area adjacent to Marne View, are undergoing renovations now. Fifty-five of these will be family housing for officers and 109 will be designated for enlisted, he said.