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--By Will Dean,
Carolina Morning News
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Developer reveals amenities plan
SUN CITY: Eleven-member homeowner's group formed to make sure managers fulfill promises.
The houses in Sun City are supposed to come with extras.
Residents have access to a 17,000-square-foot fitness center, entertainment venue and facilities for club activities and meetings, among other amenities. For many, the extras the active adult community offers are the primary reason they retire there.
"We don't come here for lavish houses," said Marty McMahon, who moved to Sun City from Connecticut with his wife Judi two and a half years ago. "They're nice, very pretty, but the lifestyle is created around the people who are here and the amenities. When you mess with the amenities, you mess with that lifestyle."
The McMahons and many residents weren't sure after Pulte Homes bought Del Webb Sun City Hilton Head in May 2001 which of the amenities they were promised as sales inducements were still in the works. Pulte executives said one thing, Sun City's new Vice President and General Manager Ken Hull said nothing.
That all changed Thursday. At the Sun City Hilton Head Community Association's annual meeting at Pinckney Hall, Hull shared a five-year plan for amenities that included expansion of the fitness center and construction of a nine-hole golf course and clubhouse.
Pulte will pay the capital costs for the amenities, Hull said. And the community association is expected to absorb operating expenses of $7.2 million, he said.
The amenities are tied to the number of houses completed in Sun City, Hull said. The goal is to build 375 a year. Accelerating the amenities schedules depends on whether the goal is exceeded each year, he said.
Hull also said he didn't share the plans last year because the community association as a business was struggling. From May 1 to Oct. 30, 2001, about 90 homes were sold. About 230 homes were sold in the same time frame this year, largely due to a new, affordable house series, Hull said.
Before the recent success, Hull was prohibited by a corporate policy from talking about plans until they knew they had the homes to support growth and the amenities, he said. Hull was released from the policy in recent months.
The consensus of the more than 300 residents who attended Thursday's meeting was that they were pleased with Hull's announcement. Though the plan didn't have any surprises, it was exciting for residents to hear, Andy Kudarauskas, a Sun City neighborhood representative, said.
Kudarauskas and McMahon were among 11 Sun City homeowners who recently formed the APPLE group -- Amenities Protected as Promised, Lifestyle Ensured -- to spur management to share its future plans for the community. The group brought its concerns to Hull about two weeks ago, but that's not where their work ends.
APPLE's mission is ongoing, McMahon said. The members plan to make sure the amenities schedule is maintained and that residents have a say in the changes that occur.
Another goal is to help residents understand how the finances work, McMahon said.
Kudarauskas said, "We're going to always be there to oversee the commitments that were made by the general manager and Pulte."
Amenities schedule
Here's a look at the amenities planned for Sun City Hilton Head for the next five years. The amenities -- estimated to cost $7.2 million to operate once built -- and the construction calendar are subject to change, depending on the number of homes Pulte Homes sells each year.
2003
Install dog park in December 2002 or early next year.
Expand fitness center's exercise and cardiovascular facility, as well as locker and shower area, by 5,000 square feet. The center is currently 17,000 square feet.
Create a 1.5-mile nature trail between Thomas Heyward and Sun City Boulevard.
Build an RV and boat parking facility with 185 spaces. An additional 100 to 108 spaces would be built in the future.
2004
Expand Pinckney Hall to create more meeting space and a new stage design.
2005
Build a neighborhood recreation center in Argent 3, which will include a six-lane, heated swimming pool, four tennis courts and multipurpose game lawn.
Expand Craft Center from L-shape to U-shape and improve Computer Club capabilities.
2006
Build two tennis courts and four bocce courts.
2007
Build a nine-hole golf course and build a clubhouse in the Hidden Cypress neighborhood.
2008
Build a multipurpose building with space for meetings, offices, billiards and possibly fitness.
--By Will Dean,
Carolina Morning News
Revised: March 22, 2004.