Hundreds attend Del Webb Catalina grand opening

Chris Pereira is the director of land planning and entitlement at Pulte Homes, but on Feb. 1, he was a shuttle driver. 

Pulte hosted a grand opening for its latest Lakewood Ranch 55+ community, Del Webb Catalina. 

Guests were able to tour seven professionally decorated model homes in the new community that is located on the east side of Bourneside Boulevard, north of Rangeland Parkway.  

Pereira said they expected to fill the parking lot, and maybe would see 100 people by the end of the three-hour open house. Instead, about 500 people showed up, and Pereira had to shuttle them back and forth to their cars.

It was a lucky turn of events for both Del Webb Catalina and its visitors. 

Pereira spent over four years working on the project. He worked on the land acquisition, zoning, permitting and design. While he’s not in sales either, he probably sold quite a few homes to those who opted for a shuttle ride.  

“Look at those trees,” he said. “We wanted this California coastal feel that just did not exist anywhere in the area.” 

The trees are Washingtonia robusta, also known as Mexican fan palms that were shipped from Arizona. Agave is another landscaping feature that lends itself to the California coastal feel. 

Pereira described the 37,000-square-foot amenity center as contemporary and different from anything the company has done before. 

“(Del Webb Catalina) is like our baby; I’m so proud of it,” he gushed to shuttle guests. “After over four years of working on it, it makes me happy you’re all here today.”