Del Webb offers peek at Cane Bay homesites

Possible, probable and expected buyers at Del Webb's first neighborhood in the Charleston area for active adults will get a chance to see available homesites today and Sunday at Cane Bay Plantation in Berkeley County.

The company is calling the event "Homesite Preview Day." It is already a hit, with close to 900 people locally and from outside the region signing up.

There will be morning and afternoon tours 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. today and Sunday. Attendees will travel the grounds in golf carts to get a first glimpse of future sites. They also will get a chance to learn more about the 360-acre Del Webb community and meet the staff, including lifestyle director Jennifer Burton.

"We have been building active adult communities for over 46 years. We are excited to bring this pioneering spirit to the area of Charleston," Burton said. "Active adults who become residents of a Del Webb community understand that it's not just about purchasing a home, it's about participating in an active lifestyle and living among peers."

According to Del Webb, the new development will generate an estimated $22.6 million in tax revenue upon the completed sale of 1,000 homes, the maximum number proposed. In addition, an estimated $3.9 million in property tax revenue will be generated yearly for Berkeley County.

Del Webb Charleston, the division in charge of marketing locally, is expected to open for sales this summer. In an active adult community at least one resident of the household must be 55 or older. For more information on the preview days and the community, go online to www.delwebb.com/charleston or call toll free at 877-432-4326.

The neighborhood is in Cane Bay Plantation, a master-planned community near U.S. highways 17A and 176 north of Goose Creek. It's about 25 miles from downtown Charleston.

Del Webb is the nation's largest builder of communities for people 55 and older. Its communities in South Carolina include Sun City Hilton Head, which is in Bluffton. The company is a brand of Pulte Homes Inc., one of the nation's largest home builders. Pulte Homes, based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has operations in 52 markets and 27 states.

The company, formed in 1950, closed on sales of 41,487 homes in 2006 and had revenues of $14.3 billion.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.