While Anthem in Phoenix is Del Webb’s first non-age-restricted community, the community is not Del Webb’s first Anthem. As the company was breaking ground in Phoenix in July of 1998, Anthem Las Vegas was opening for sales. The difference between the two communities is that in Las Vegas, Anthem combines Del Webb’s three product lines in one location.
The community contains Anthem Country Club, a guard-gated country club community; Sun City Anthem, for active adults age 55 and over; and Coventry Homes at Anthem, with homes for every type of family. With the exception of approximately 10% of Anthem Country Club’s total sites, which will be built by custom builders, Del Webb is the sole builder within Anthem.
"We were nearing buildout at Sun City Summerlin, so we were looking for a successor community in Las Vegas," says Anne Mariucci.
Unveiling a new product line, indeed an entire new brand of master-planned community, is risky, but Del Webb did their research and made it a calculated, informed risk. Using virtually the same methods of market research followed by substantial advertisement and marketing, the company saw a chance to launch the Anthem brand.
"Anthem in Las Vegas was originally targeted as a Sun City community," says Tom Lucas. "The country club community was already successful there, so it was natural to bring Anthem in as a part of those two."
Featuring the same types of amenities as in Phoenix, including a school, fire station, 55-acre park, two golf courses and nature trails, Anthem Las Vegas is expected to be home to 30,000 residents at buildout. The 4754-acre development is projected to contain 12,000 homes after approximately 12 years.
Since opening for sales on July 4, 1998, the three neighborhoods have seen 677 sales. Del Webb’s 33 models have been open since October of the same year. Anthem Country Club includes four series of homes priced from the $160s to the $600s. Custom home sites are approximately 1/2 acre and range in price from $300,000 to more than $1 million. Homes currently available in the Coventry Homes neighborhoods range from the $130s to the $190s, with two additional neighborhoods opening in July 1999.
It is not surprising that Del Webb chose to develop their new brand of non-age-restricted community in Las Vegas and Phoenix, because those have historically been the company’s two strongest markets. It was natural for them to look for large parcels of land in places they know best. But after expanding out of the south with a Sun City near Chicago, and diversifying their community and product offerings, what’s next for Del Webb?
"We’re looking to build another Anthem where we have an existing presence, even in the north," says Mariucci.
Anthem: A New Tune From Del Webb
