Notes from Ellie
Hello All,
Hope this communique finds you well and looking forward to Fall in Sun City Center.
Kudos
Kudos go out to the entire SaveSCC membership and supporters.
The web site continues to offer more information and features. We’re raised $ 985.00 since Aug 7th via the web donation page at SaveSCC.org.
Time to Gear Up and Get Involved for the Fall Push!
It is time to geared up, re-invigorated and revved up for our fall push. It will be all about preparation and execution of our door-to-door campaign come November and there is lots to do before then. I will be discussing that with you all at our working session next Tuesday, September 13th in the Rollins Theatre at 6 pm or via Zoom. The following documents will also be discussed:
Restrictive Covenant Agreement
Termination of Restrictive Covenant Agreement
One woman’s perspective of how SCC got here.
For some sixty years here in Sun City Center, the developers and the residents of Sun City Center have collaborated in the creation, development, maintenance, beatification, evolution and future of this unique and special community. These efforts have seen changes, challenges and evolutions throughout that 60-year history. But that long and sometimes bumpy road was close to reaching its endpoint in 2008 when WCI’s financial peril, Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, led to:
- 2010 WCI’S sales of the developable property to Minto as the last developer of Sun City Center as designed and platted.
- 2010 WCI’s sale to ClubLink as the new owner of the golf properties.
Development concluded with Minto’s departure in 2020 after its final home was sold. The initial community concept, vision, plan and execution to create the essence of Sun City Center rested solely with Del Webb when he went about replicating his successful experiment from Sun City Arizona. That vision included a community solely for active retirees 55+ who would have extensive facilities indoor and outdoor to support all manner of recreating and socializing. Golf remains a cornerstone activity since the founding and opening of Sun City Center. Over time more courses were added by developers (Sandpiper, Caloosa Greens and Club Renaissance) and community members (Caloosa).
The developers who started, expanded, maintained and supported our community are gone. This was not an unforeseen milestone. Sound actions were taken by the Community Association Boards over the years to prepare for this eventuality. Capital Fund contributions for sales of properties in Sun City were initiated and increased, and dues were raised to fund beautification of the medians on N. Pebble Beach. Professional studies and committees were commissioned to explore the costs of potentially acquiring the golf courses but the final decision on multiple occasions by those in power was not to do so.
One of Sun City Center’s most visible and potentially valuable centerpieces is its golf courses and green spaces. Under the developer’s ownership, these assets were maintained to standards that increased the value of all properties in Sun City Center and were a significant draw for potential buyers. These centerpiece amenities improved every property and their property values. Wide open spaces and vista with greenspaces and wildlife abounded.
With the sale of the golf courses to ClubLink in 2010, the interest of residents and property owners and those of the golf course owner were no longer aligned. The residents wanted well maintained golf facilities and golfers wanted good tee time availability at reasonable costs. The golf course owner and operator wanted to maximize profits by minimizing expenditures. That led to a decline in services and conditions and little to no capital investment to address issues with irrigation, drainage or building maintenance over the last 12 years under Clublink. The assets’ physical condition continues to decline and deteriorate.
Who knows what their assessment and plan was in acquiring these properties then, now, or in the future?
Due to a restrictive covenant agreement between Minto and WCI, and its successor in the golf courses – Clublink, ClubLink was prohibited from developing or selling lots on their golf course properties until the agreement was terminated in 2017. Only the parties to the release of the restrictive covenant know why the release occurred then or whether there were any other factors involved and they are not talking. With Minto projects complete and delivered in 2020, the opportune time to pursue development for ClubLink apparently has arrived.
Interest in golf membership and play seems to have waned, at least according to ClubLink and their CEO K. Rai Sahi. Development offers better returns.
In 2007 when WCI was in a sharp decline dramatically reducing staff and seeing its stock value plunge, a Sun City Center resident Ed Jacobs and others saw the handwriting on the wall. He established a non-profit organization called The Sun City Center Golf and Social Club, Inc. to acquire Sandpiper, Caloosa Greens and the North Lakes courses. His assessment was spot on but his plan never came to fruition. Unfortunately WCI was in disarray and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2008 and change was on the horizon. Everyone thought the fight was about ownership of golf courses, not who would be the potential developer of the remaining land in Sun City Center.
Today the situation raises grave concern with ClubLink’s proposal to close golf courses and develop residential homes instead.
So some key questions arise:
- What does the community seek for its future – more development or protection of our golf courses and green space for recreation in the future or somewhere in between ?
- Are we as a community willing to fund, acquire, maintain and utilize these properties so that the community is making these decisions now and in the future and is in control of what happens?
These questions and responses will forever affect the very character, services, and future economics of our community and the residential property values of our homes for better or worse. It is a critical concern that must be thoroughly explored, analyzed and rationally decided.
I remain optimistic that any application for development rezoning can be defeated based on fact that any residential or commercial development of the golf courses is inconsistent and incompatible with the Greater Sun City Community Plan as adopted by the County Board of Commissioners in 2010 and would require a major modification for rezoning and/or a comprehensive plan amendment which will very difficult to achieve.
It is the economic commitment of the community that is more uncertain and of greater necessity to secure control of the courses and green space via community ownership in some fashion. There have been opportunities in the past to acquire the North Lakes course and the North Lakes, Caloosa Greens and Sandpiper. Those opportunities were not seized by those in power.
Our door-to-door petition effort in November will give us a good fix on whether Sun City Center owners and residents want to stop any rezoning and that will be an important event. This will conclusively show the will of the people on this matter for our county commissioners and our CA Board.
Planning, Planning, Planning
‘Tis the season for planning both at the County level and also here with SCC. The Long Range Planning (LRP) Committee held two meetings on Thursday. About 65 CA members attended the am session and about another 55 at the pm session. The AM session in my estimation was more interactive and fruitful over the two hours. The PM session was less vocal and ran about an hour by design of the . The LRP team did a good job and are to be commended. I remain concerned that they do not plan on playing the findings back to the community before doing a survey on Survey Monkey and they spoke of whittling down the input???? In good conceptual design you want to gather every bit of user input for the design phase. Not whittle it down. Guess we will have to see what comes next.
Fruits of My Research
My research has been extensive over the summer and led to many more insights and facts. I have been spending time in the SCC library and have compiled some of the information I sought previously from the CA and Bob Sullivan regarding the prior task forces and their reports regarding the golf courses and also details from the Historical Society regarding planning efforts and results in SCC. All in all a very satisfactory fishing mission with more to come. I will be potentially joining the Historical Society and will attend their meeting on September 12th to see if there is a good “fit”.
Possible Run for the CA Board
I am seriously considering running for a 1-year seat on the CA Board and picked up the paperwork this week. Previously when urged to do so, I always flatly said no because of the amount of time and energy I am investing in our SaveSCC initiative. And that is my first and foremost priority. But I am coming around to the belief that there could be great synergy in doing both. I am in the discernment process and will keep you advised. The deadline is October 5, 2022, 3 pm.
I am interested in your thoughts on the matter. Either way, I am asking all of you to step forward and get more involved in SaveSCC and all of our SCC community endeavors. It is critical we all put forth the best we have to offer to improve our community during this very critical time when so much is at stake.
Hope to see you in person Tuesday!
Please keep forwarding our information to your friends and associates. It is important to keep folks informed and onboard.
Thank you all for your continued participation and support! If you have not yet registered as a member of Save Sun City Center, please visit our website SaveSCC.org and do so. We need you! You help me keep on keeping on and inspire me!
If it is to be, it is up to “we”. And you are part of “we”.
Ellie Anderson
312-282-7337