Sun City-type Development

September 28, 2006 - A Sun City-like development, the signature retirement community that helped spur the growth of southern Beaufort County, will stake claim to a section of Cane Bay Plantation, a large subdivision under construction in Berkeley County near Carnes Crossroads.

Pulte Homes, which owns the company that builds the popular active adult communities across the nation, announced
Wednesday that it will build 1,000 single-family detached homes on 357 acres within the 10,000-home Cane Bay subdivision.

Jon Cherry, vice president of operations for Pulte Homes' South Carolina Coastal Division in Charleston, said Cane Bay's proximity to Charleston makes it ideal for the Del Webb community, a smaller version of Sun City.

"We like the climate, the culture, the location and the reputation of the city," Cherry said.

Residents in Del Webb communities contribute to the tax base but typically do not have children in the schools. Despite that advantage, others point to the fact that growth crowds roads and say the county needs to establish a good road system as the land is developed.

Del Webb at Cane Bay Plantation will be one of the few developments in the area that target retirees. At least one person in each household must be at least 55 years old, Cherry said.

The company expects to break ground in the spring and begin construction next summer, he said. The homes should be ready by fall 2007.

The community will have a recreation and social center, workout facility, aerobics studio and a full-time lifestyle director who will organize community activities. It will also have indoor and outdoor pools, walking trails, tennis courts and bocce courts.

"There is a big difference between assisted living and active adult living," Cherry said. "Our residents are going on to another phase of their life."

In addition to Sun City Hilton Head, Del Webb opened Sun City Carolina Lakes in Lancaster County in March. The 1,200-acre community with 3,300 homes has basketball and volleyball courts, a fitness center, a ballroom, a billiard room and an 18-hole golf course.

The average price of a Pulte home is $315,000, although the prices vary from market to market. Cherry said prices are not yet available for the Cane Bay community.

Cane Bay developer Ben M. Gramling III, president of Gramling Brothers Real Estate & Development Inc., said Berkeley County is ahead of the curve when it comes to planning for future growth.

Berkeley County Council is in the process of approving a development agreement with Cane Bay that will specify construction plans for the duration of the project and obligate the developer to contribute to future road improvement projects in the area.

Cane Bay, a master-planned development on 4,300 acres, will have a mix of single- and multi-family homes and businesses such as dry cleaners and grocery stores. It will have land for parks, fire stations and ball fields.

In March, Gramling sold 20 acres to Trident Health System for health care facilities that will serve Cane Bay and the surrounding area. Gramling also donated land for the new Cane Bay High School and said plans are in the works for an elementary school on site.

Meanwhile, the county is in the process of approving impact fees that could help pay for a new Interstate 26 interchange and a regional spine road to address future traffic in the area, among other road projects that would be needed as a result of growth.

"There is always going to be traffic," Gramling said. "Berkeley County has taken tremendous steps in getting ready for growth."

Although some recent studies have shown a decline in the housing market both nationally and in the Charleston area, Gramling said he believes now is the perfect time for Del Webb to come here.

"I think the tri-county area will continue to be a strong market," Gramling said.
Charles Cousins, planning director for the Town of Hilton Head Island, warns about the kind of traffic congestion his area has experienced in the decade since Sun City moved in.

"At that time, Bluffton was a sleepy town," Cousins said. "There's been a lot of rapid growth between Hilton Head Island and Sun City."

Sun City, which is about 10 miles from Hilton Head Island off U.S. Highway 278 near Bluffton in Beaufort County, was built on old timberland. It will have 8,000 homes when its completely built.

Since it opened, strip malls with large box retailers and car dealerships have crowded U.S. 278, the only road to Hilton Head Island.

In 1989, Hilton Head Island became one of the first municipalities to approve impact fees for roads in 1989. Beaufort County started collecting the fees in 2000. But Cousins said it's still not enough.

In November, Beaufort County will ask voters for the third time to approve a 1-cent sales tax for road improvements, Cousins said. The tax failed in the first two referendums.

Cherry noted that the residents in a Del Webb community typically make less-frequent trips and use the roads at off-peak hours.

That's one of the reasons Patrick Mason, co-founder of CarolinaLiving.com, said the targeted residents will be good additions to Berkeley County.

CarolinaLiving is an online source that provides research and information on culture and the cost of living for people who want to move to North Carolina or South Carolina.

"There is less strain on the infrastructure when you have seniors versus younger families," Mason said. "That also translates into fewer desks in the classroom."

AARP, a nonprofit membership organization for people at least 50 years old, named Charleston one of five "Dream Towns" in the magazine's July/August edition. The article called Charleston a bargain and highlighted retirees' ability to tour historic places.

The Charleston area is ideal for retirees, said Patrick Cobb, the state's AARP spokesman. It has numerous cultural opportunities and a high quality of life combined with a comparatively low cost of living, he said.

"The quality of life in our state is absolutely wonderful," Cobb said. "We're halfway between Florida and New York, so people decide to stop and stay."

Reach Yvonne M. Wenger at ywenger@postandcourier.com or 745-5891.
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Credit: The Post and Courier