Pulte cuts jobs; cites struggling real estate market

The South Carolina Coastal Division of Pulte Homes cut 10 employees last week, citing less need for the workers because of the sluggish housing market.

Eight of the jobs were in Pulte's two local Del Webb Communities: Sun City Hilton Head and The Haven at New Riverside, said Jon Cherry, division president. The other two positions were at Sun City Charleston, Cherry said.

The job cuts were primarily construction superintendents and project managers, Cherry said. Some 80 to 90 people still work in the S.C. Coastal Division, Cherry said.

All three developments are restricted to residents who are 55 and older.

"Based on the current amount of work, we saw that going forward we would have to do a reduction," Cherry said.

Sun City, started in 1994 on U.S. 278, has about 6,500 homes completed and another 1,900 planned.

There are about 50 occupied homes at The Haven at New Riverside. When built out, it will have 500 homes south of the S.C. 46-S.C. 170 traffic circle.

Last year, Pulte cut about 16 percent of its national workforce, or about 1,900 jobs, citing a difficult housing market.

Two weeks ago, a team of Sun City residents spearheading efforts to transition control of the community from the developer to residents resigned. Sun City officials informed the transition team it wasn't yet needed.

Cherry said last week that the team wouldn't be needed until the development was closer to selling all the houses.

When the transition team was created two years ago, the real estate market was more robust. With no projected completion date for the project, formation of the team was premature, Cherry said.

Del Webb is a subsidiary of Pulte Homes. Pulte purchased Del Webb in 2001.