Lake Wildwood – The New Clubhouse
The Lake Wildwood Community of over 2800 homes is on a beautiful 300 acre, man-made lake in Penn Valley California. The community was built as a second home retreat for the bay area some 40 years ago. Today Lake Wildwood has become more of a retirement community but with 400 homes occupied by working age families with children.
The Association’s recreation and service facilities were extensive with a golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool, community buildings, lake facilities, parks and deteriorating golf club house on the verge of condemnation (which actually happened by state officials half way through the planning process to replace it). The purpose of the Lake Wildwood planning process was to decide how to resolve the renovation of replacement of the golf clubhouse. The planning team of McMahon, the planning committee and the management began the planning by getting an existing conditions report on the golf clubhouse. Then a residents survey was sent to the entire community’s population to learn what residents wanted to do with this clubhouse. The residents were pretty clear with 67% wanting major improvements or a new golf clubhouse while 6% of residents wanted no improvements. But the decision on whether to renovate or build new was decided when the existing building was condemned and closed.
Once the only option was to build new, the planning team was able to look at the golf building with an entirely new light. A better site location with much better views now became possible for a new clubhouse. This opened up the design process. Thus the new golf clubhouse option to replace the condemned one became the obvious best choice for the Association. And while the old clubhouse had less square feet of space in a cumbersome two story design, the new 20,000 square feet clubhouse was designed with all member spaces on a single floor with expanded dining areas, a great bar area and extensive outdoor covered dining areas facing the golf course. The new clubhouse building was presented to the community for approval in the summer of 2015 for input. In 2015 the project was approved by the residents and in early 2017 the construction was completed. The clubhouse cost of $8 Million was funded out of reserves and a $20/month assessment for a 10 year period.
Today the golf clubhouse at Lake Wildwood is a showcase for planning, presenting, constructing and operating. The planning process involved the residents in the decision-making so members easily approved the project. This golf clubhouse also provides the only restaurant in Lake Wildwood, so the building serves the entire community. The visionary leadership of the Association hit a home run with the facility.