The other night we were shooting some video with the French film crew on Larry Klein's dock over looking Viewpoint lake. It was a gorgeous evening and we were encouraged to talk about Sun City and what it meant to us. We nattered on for quite a bit and Larry asked me this absolutely brilliant question: " If you were going to build your own Sun City, what would it look like, what would you do?" For those of you who know me, I seldom am short on words. In this case, the question caught me off guard and gave rise for pause. There's perhaps nothing worse on video as blank footage (thank goodness for editing), but I really did have to gather my thoughts and ponder a bit. Finally it came gushing out, simply because it is such a great question. I'd start with a large parcel of land; so consequently it would be far removed from an urban area. The streets would be wide (like Sun City) with adequate space for both golf car and cars. The lots large so you weren't on top of your neighbors. There would be one massive community center with pool, walking pool and fitness area. It would have a bar and grill, a dozen classrooms and very large auditorium with seating for 1500 to 2000 people. There would be a dozen pickleball courts and a like number of tennis courts. There would be no golf courses, but lots of open green spaces for walking, biking and dog friendly areas. We would build and operate one commercial setting, where we gave more than fair rental rates (just to insure we had services needed). Adjacent to that would be a like sized medical complex, again with rents controlled to insure tenants. We would save additional land for future club development. As people identified needs we could expand to address those needs. Costs would be shared per household with all amenity building costs added at the point of sale. Resale's would pay that same buy-in price-point as original buyers. Because I wouldn't be moving on after build-out, the construct of our governance wouldn't be a moving target but a constant. We would incorporate an absolute structure of transparency. 4000-5000 people would in all likelihood be a good number, but the entirety of the project (size of all features) would coincide with the actual number of residents. Much of this was an afterthought, because in my discussion with Larry, I added to the large land masse, I would immediately open John Meeker's playbook on how to, and embrace 90% of it. In the next installment, I'll detail those to give you a flavor of what he did from 1965 -1978.
Love to Bruce, but almost any idea is rife with problems. Adding retail and medical in a rural area is always a problem...ultimately you need people to work at those places. And therein is one of the challenges Webb faced and overcame. What they accomplished in the creation of Sun City still amazes me. I'll stop back later with Meeker's playbook for success.
Good comments e, but for discussion purposes, let me give you some stats. At Sun City's inception, the projections of potential senior buyers was something less than 10%. 55 years later, it still hovers around the 10% mark, even though there are thousands of them in existence. To add to those woes, the projected numbers of golfers into Sun City was around 20% of the population. Those percentages still ring true today. There are however people who don't golf that want to live adjacent to green spaces; hence my comments on hiking, biking, dog trails and allocated space where homes could abut them. To add to the discourse, single course communities and country clubs are trapped in an economies of scale problem. With one course, they are not able to spread their costs that comes with the buying power of multiples. It's one of the reasons Sun City is so perfectly positioned. We have economies of scale and the RCSC does a great job of using it to work to our advantage. Newer, smaller communities are foregoing golf courses simply because the buying pool is so small and the cost to run them so high. That's good news for Sun City because it will drive those wanting golf courses to us. It's a two edged sword because those who see golf as a money pit may well avoid us. I will say the one key to this new community would be a massive recreation center/community center where everything starts from. From administration to gatherings to entertainment, having a central location helps key into one of Meeker's primary principals...a sense of community.
Phase 2 E; centrally located would be best for a community center. I think Mountainview is best served with a theater of some fashion. If the Bowl is rained out, diverting people down the road would be awesome...the only problem would be size. That's where an aggressive long range committee would be invaluable.
As promised, let me continue on with some absolutes for any age restricted community. John Meeker's journals provide us with a biased but fairly blunt assessment of what saved Sun City. He was brought in when sales plummeted in 1964 in the original Sun City, and as the other Sun City's spread across the country were already dead in the water. * First off he looked at the 50 personnel ad division that was producing brilliant ads for the incredibly expensive national campaign. While their works produced ads that would make even the Mad Men proud, he scrapped them. He reduced it to three people, and localized it to just Sun City AZ. At the heart of his strategy was a program that still exists today: Play and Stay. It was a no-brainer given Webb owned the Kings Inn motor court on the corner of Grand Ave and 107th. Those rooms became the catalyst to overcome the one constant since opening; Sun City was a place old people went to die. He understood the best single tool to change a persons perception was to have them see it, live the lifestyle. What made this move so brilliant was he was able to stay with that strategy even into his move to Sun City West. It meant he didn't have to waste money, time and energy on ad campaigns and could focus on the bigger issues. * Perhaps nothing was more significant in Sun City's revival than the fact he understood without a true sense of community, Sun City would never survive or flourish. He knew someday DEVCO would leave and it would all be in the hands of those living here to keep it going. In Sun City's first 5 years, one of the core components was to let the residents do as they chose. Non-involvement was their belief, though they did help those who stepped up legally with the structure. Clubs were left to fend for themselves and even the rec centers were splintered in access and interactions. John immediately began helping club's be successful. He gave away a color television at a club meeting where 10 people were in attendance and it jump started the whole concept. He claimed residents started joining clubs and what they found was better than a nice door prize, it was friendship and things to do. To this day, the success of any age restricted community is really wrapped up in their ability to build a cohesive sense of community. * He patched up the differences that existed in the community by listening to people and being fearless by investing the financial and human capital to make it all work. * He started a 60 day warranty program where if anything went wrong in the house, they would fix it. That was a dramatic departure from company policy that said once you had the keys, it was your problem. For John it was all about building brand loyalty. * His whole approach to selling Sun City shifted from sales people, to the residents becoming the mechanism driving the bus. So much so, his sales force were not allowed to strong arm people. He understood when people were here for the Play and Stay, they would be amongst those living here and if they were happy, they sold the community for him. His contention was that from 1965 through 1978 more than 50% of Sun City homes were sold to people using the Play and Stay. * He was willing to spend money (often like a drunken sailor), to make Sun City something very special. The Sun Bowl was an instant hit (and is still today). The Lakes Club was spectacular beyond what most DEVCO officers felt was necessary. The monster Bell rec center far exceeded costs. Every model home was nicer than the next as he listened to what those living here said they wanted (which often spurned existing residents to buy the next new home). In reading his oral history on file at the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, he was very proud of what Sun City had become. He was modest in his recognizing the role so many played in helping Sun City succeed; he also understood the importance of the part he played. Without him, it might well have been a totally different outcome. Perhaps his most compelling commentary came as he acknowledged Sun City was really successful because of the people who moved here, who gave their time, expertise and energy to help it all come together. It was a joint venture between those working it and those living it and without the love affair that existed, it never would have made it. Want to build your own Sun City? Look no further than John Meeker's strategy and you'll have a great chance to be successful.
