Sun City to break ground on second community hall

Sun City Hilton Head will ceremonially break ground today on a second large community hall.

Construction on the 16,000-square-foot Magnolia Hall began this month and the nearly $6 million building is expected to be completed by the end of the year, said Jon Cherry, division president for Pulte Homes' South Carolina Coastal Division. Del Webb, the Sun City developer, is a brand of Pulte.

Magnolia Hall will join Pinckney Hall, which is also roughly 16,000 square feet, in the town center area. Magnolia Hall will have theater-style seating for as many as 550 people.

The extra meeting space will come in handy, according to Sun City resident Vince Russo.

"You have over a hundred clubs here," Russo said. "Every day there's another one turning up."

Russo acknowledged some Sun City residents are unhappy about the construction, which is being paid for by Pulte. Maintenance costs will eventually be passed on to residents. There is concern about those costs once homeowners take control of the community after Sun City is built out, Russo said.

Magnolia Hall "is very important to the residents of Sun City," Cherry said. "It goes with the lifestyle we offer here."

Magnolia Hall isn't the only construction going on in the town square. Cherry said the crafts building will be expanded to 15,000 square feet, up from 5,000 square feet. Two new bocce ball courts, a new croquet lawn and an 18-hole putting area are also under construction, he said.

Parking in the area will also be expanded, creating more than

150 spots for cars and golf carts at Pinckney Hall. Magnolia Hall will also have a parking lot.

All the projects are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Magnolia Hall was not originally part of the plan for the town square, but was developed based on the increasing needs for activity space in the community, Cherry said.

Sun City started in 1994. About 6,500 homes have been completed and another 1,900 are planned. About 11,000 people will live in Sun City when it is built out. There's no projected build-out date.