RCSC Buying Buildings

First of all it would have to be the right price and secondly, I don't care about the building. The layout is all wrong for anything we would use it for.

Buy if the price is right and demolish the building. Make it a park until we have a need.

One thing people seem to keep forgetting. With the age of our homes, we need great facilities to attract people in the future. Nice enough that people will buy homes built between 1960 and 1976 because of our amenities. That won't happen if we do things on the cheap.

 

For those who have difficulty understanding, or confused, what this post means is additional information about the property. The photos weren’t taken yesterday as noted below. (Yes, most know that!)

Interior photos (20) of RCSC property opportunity under consideration, no decisions at this time.

13818 N Thunderbird Blvd
Sun City, AZ 85351

Visuals of bones & potential
probably taken when first listed.

Here:https://www.showcase.com/13818-n-thunderbird-blvd-sun-city-az-85351/22952930/

 

Not sure what this means. It's a shiny new health care facility. Very pretty. Appears to be brand new stainless meal prep area. Looks as beautiful as Grandview Memory Care Center when it was new in 2015/16 or so. If it still looks like that it would make an amazing hospice facility. Lots of windows, bright. Much better than all the hospice houses I have toured which are dark and sad.

 

Looks like quite a bit of open spaces for clubs, etc. Looking at the floor tiles, I would want to know if asbestos is a problem. Also looks conducive to corporate offices.

 

Thanks for explaining. I guess I didn't express myself properly. Yes it was a beautiful building. Yes those were taken a long time ago, seems like no one knows when. We do know there have been 3 renters over the years. Did they do any remodeling. tear outs, etc? If so to what extent? Did Connie Jo take any photos when she toured it recently? Those would be nice to see if she did. Could be asbestos. Ban was around the late 80's this was built in 85. Just pointing out the obvious, I can't post a photo of my 15 year old car when it was new to sell today.

 

No offense but it's nobody's job to evaluate the building but a certified expert. I do not trust a board of directors to make the decision to purchase this building without a professional recommendation.
There comes a time when they have to admit their limitations. It is dangerous to believe they know more than they do and it could hurt an entire community.

 

Agree. But please demonstrate the need first.

 

My thought is they are feeling the real estate rush when we have not even established a legitimate need. Currently only a small portion of Lakeview is taken up by "Corporate" and others are suitably located inside the things they manage. I see no advantage to buying this but am willing to listen.

 

Could we maybe just think for a minute that they decided to take a look at the property to see what potential the building might have before they took the additional steps to engage the experts. If it didn't have any benefit or it was a total disaster they could say - it has no merit. If they felt it MAY fit in to future plans, they should at least INVESTIGATE the opportunity. It's called doing their job.

 

I'm supportive of a look-see. However if they feel something is fixable/unfixable - do they really know to what extent? Utilization should be their focus rather than condition unless it's falling down around them of course.

 

Linda, I don't think anyone appreciates what appears to be sarcasm. The discussion centers around whether there is a need for more property and how much effort to put into this. Since the community is fully built out there is unlikely going to be more members crowding our already underused facilities. If the Board feels we need another fixer upper when we can't keep up on the maintenance of what we already have I am all ears. My concern based on what I was told is that certain Board members have an open space agenda (converting golf courses and rec centers to parks) that has not really been vetted with the membership. If the membership, including folks that own houses on the golf courses they want to convert to parks, are fully informed and approve it I am fully on board!

 

I agree that Sun City doesn't need another building. Unless most operate from 5am-noon only and are closed the rest of the day except for a few weekly dances and a Sundial show here and there. Will see how this plays out.

 

You were among the 26 people at the BF&A meeting and there was ample time given for Q&A. You also know that much more information about the 5 year plan is due very soon. There is a meeting on Monday that provides another opportunity for member questions. I was asking for a deep breath. There is a lot of sarcasm and constant criticism bring directed at the Board and committees that are trying to do a job that is in the best interests of the community. If it is determined it is not, then action can be taken accordingly. My point - the next two months should provide a good deal of important information.

I typically try to take the high road. I understand the frustration is palpable. It's a two-way street.

 

No argument here Linda. Have a great summer in Chzland.

 

Thank you for your volunteer service to the community. The members are understandably concerned about a variety of things and some of the criticism is deserved due to fan Gate and the library debacle. But, it can always get carried away and I see your point as we should not throw the baby out with the bath water. I see these next steps by our board, management and committee members as critical. They will either restore trust or further erode it. The elephant in the room is what new or expanded recreational opportunities have the biggest bang for the buck. Due to limited funds, there will always have to be tradeoffs. That is where we need expert help.

 

Set forth below are the comments I made at the Member Exchange Meeting this morning:

John Fast - Member # 153253

Thank you to the Board and Committee members for your volunteer efforts and for this opportunity to speak against the purchase of the Thunderbird property. My message is simple and shared by many, we ask you to stop all efforts to purchase this property and focus on the important tasks ahead of you particularly the long-range plan! In my opinion one of the major reasons Sun City has been such a success is the diligent and expert planning that was done before a single house was built. Del Webb had an army of experts and I encourage the Board to hire an urban planning firm specializing in recreational planning to objectively comb through our data and advise the Board and members regarding the process and policies we need to follow for a successful future. Nobody expects that you, as volunteers with differing backgrounds, would have that expertise. As a result of the tireless efforts of members of the long-range planning committee we finally have a solid mission, vision and value statement and are ready to take the next step to develop a solid plan to fulfill it. Please, Plan wisely, spend wisely.


My reasons for requesting RCSC not to pursue the Thunderbird property have certainly been considered in your evaluation of the opportunity but I will repeat them here so we can all see the monumental challenge this property poses.


1. A study of the utilization of RCSC indoor air-conditioned flat space indicated it was only being used between 30% and 40% of the time available. It does not make sense to buy more property when we are not using ½ of what we already have. We have a scheduling issue not a capacity issue.

2. This building(s) is specifically designed as a hospital not as a recreation center or an office building.

3. At $500 per square foot this 49,000 square foot property could cost about $25M to renovate.

4. The annual cost to operate this building could be over $1.2M per year, which would increase the annual assessment by $30.

5. Abandoned buildings are notorious for not being maintained and it is public knowledge this one had major water damage in 2020 and has been unoccupied since 2016. It probably still has water damage.

6. The building is old. It was built in 1985.

7. The property would need to be rezoned.

8. The parking at the facility appears to be inadequate.

9. We do not have the staff to take on one more project.


Thank you for considering this request.

 

Very well worded, John! Just one disagreement from me: "I was 'built' in 1950 and I'm not that old." LOL

Seriously, your comments are valid and I hope the Board and Management check these all out before making a decision. I especially agree with the need to have a "city planner", hopefully one familiar with 55+ communities. That will be expensive and met with criticism from the Members, but may be money well spent. Your point that Del Webb had an army of consultants was one I had not considered. Certainly, volunteer Board members should not fill that role, regardless of their background. I know that we have construction personnel on staff, but that isn't the same as community planning.

Another telling comment you made is, "We have a scheduling issue, not a capacity issue." I agree.

I look forward to watching the video. Unfortunately I was under the surgeon's knife while the Exchange was taking place. Nothing serious......

P.S. I am still undecided about RCSC purchasing this property, but you make very valid points.

 

HMMM? I wonder if anybody has considered contacting K. Hovnanian, the developer who built those 140, 2 bedroom, 2 bath homes on .12 acres? Those are the homes behind Sun Land Cemetery.

I think he made a killing on that project and he might be able to make the number$ work if he were too undertake developing that 4.64 acre site on Thunderbird as well?

 

OK Janet - Thanks for the great laugh and I won't do the math.

 

Regarding current zoning:
13818 N Thunderbird Blvd, Sun City, AZ 85351
“The property is zoned by Maricopa County as R-3, multifamily residential. It was able to be operated under a county special-use permit allowing for nursing home use only. Mr. Baugh said a different SUP could be requested, but that would not happen unless there was a specific client committed to the site. An SUP request normally takes six months to go through the county’s process, but this effort could take up to one year, he added.”

Source: Article from August 2020
Abandoned Sun City specialty hospital property remains vacant
Repairs conducted, but no prospective tenants
Posted Tuesday, August 25, 2020
By Rusty Bradshaw
https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/...ialty-hospital-property-remains-vacant,182258