How the developer and Community Life work together at Delta Coves
Thoughtfully planned, connected communities can enrich the way we live, learn, work and play. It takes a skilled group of developers, engineers, architects, landscape designers, construction teams, and community engagers to set the stage for a purposeful place to live and thrive.
Since there are many players involved in the evolution of a place, we’re breaking down the unique roles each entity plays in turning undeveloped land into a master-crafted community.
Master developer
Let’s start with the developer. A master developer looks for a promising piece of land they can buy and build on. Once the land is purchased, the developer works with architects, engineers and government agencies to design a master plan that’s also mindful of the environment and natural resources.
The developer preps the land, proposes entitlements (specific uses for the land) and constructs the horizontal infrastructure like roads, sewer systems, amenities and the Delta Coves lagoon. They lay out the community’s vision and plan, work with government agencies for approvals, and write the initial governing documents.
In the case of Delta Coves, our master developer is DMB Development. The master developer divides out the land and either builds on it or sells it to homebuilders or commercial developers. While Delta Coves will not have any industrial space, in other communities the master developer can chose to sell a portion of the land to industrial developers as part of the community plan.
Homebuilders
A homebuilder — like Davidson Communities or Blue Mountain — buys finished lots from the master developer and proposes the type, style and volume of residential dwellings they will build on the various sizes of finished lots. The homebuilder must follow the developer’s builder design guidelines and go through the developer’s design review process.
The developer typically engages with builder partners early in the process to ensure that there is a collaboration in the layout and mix of lot sizes that will ultimately be designed and constructed by the master developer.
DMB Development works with the homebuilders to ensure the exterior styling of the homes is timeless. Eventually, the residential dwellings’ construction gets underway – often starting with model home sites – and the homebuilder markets their product to prospective homebuyers.
Community governance
Community governance is unique to each community and includes a board of directors that maintains the community’s vision and plan.
During the early stages of a new community, the board is developer-led, and the developer appoints members (declarants). At this point, the founder has the majority say in all board-related decisions.
This ensures the vision DMB Development has for the community is nurtured and stabilized for a resident board in the future. Once the community has enough homeowner units sold, residents will have the opportunity to elect owner directors to the board.
These board members will work alongside the declarants and will represent the owners on the board. As outlined in the Delta Coves Bylaws, once 75% – approximately 420 – of the homes are owned by residents, the developer will begin transitioning the five-member board to owners. The Delta Coves board is currently comprised of three developer appointees and two elected owner directors.
Master association
Delta Coves is managed by a California nonprofit organization, Delta Coves Maintenance Corporation, Inc. – DCMC for short.
The organization is responsible for maintaining community landscapes and public settings, fostering social and civic engagement opportunities and creating shared experiences and lasting traditions among residents. The goal is to keep the community experience at its best while maintaining the original vision of the master developer.
Residents are encouraged to learn more about how the master association is managed by getting involved and visiting the Delta Coves resident website. There, residents will find everything from community governance information – including the list of current board members, financial reports and meeting minutes – to community standards and design guidelines. Informed and engaged residents are in a prime position to lead the community into the future.
Special benefit area
A Special Benefit Area is a group of lots or condominiums, identified within the governing documents, which receives special services not provided to all owners.
These homeowners have additional dues added to their monthly assessments. In Delta Coves, this space within the community includes homes built by Pulte Homes.
Delta Coves Community Life
The developer’s land plan gives the community a sense of structure and organization, but it’s the way-of-life plan that provides the community with vitality. That’s where the Delta Coves Community Life team comes into play.
In the early stages of community development, and especially as residents begin to move into their homes, the master developer and board of directors typically hire an organization that aligns with their values and vision for the community, such as Cohere (the company behind your Community Life team) to manage the operations, maintenance and community engagement.
This is a full-time, on-site team with supporting members off-site, that serves at the direction of the board to uphold the developer’s vision and plan for the community through day-to-day operations, community management and resident engagement.
Their duties include maintaining landscapes and amenities, recognizing and responding to compliance concerns, design review requests, fostering community partnerships, establishing neighborhood traditions, supporting resident-led clubs and groups, and planning signature events and activities.
The Community Life team’s dedication to creating energy and human connection fosters engaged and purposeful communities that grow in value over time.
Community Life does not have a say or influence in how future land is developed, but they can serve as a conduit to the developer and share residents’ comments, questions or concerns. Feeback is gathered from a variety of activities including surveys, trends in community concerns and day-to-day interactions with residents to name a few.
At the end of the day, the Delta Coves Community Life team takes its direction from the board of directors to develop programs to engage residents and processes to maintain community aesthetic. It’s a partnership to ensure a high quality of life at Delta Coves.
Questions? We're happy to help.
Call 925-488-9001 or email Community Life, and a team member will be in touch. If you’re concerned about neighborhood compliance issues (parkway trees and irrigation, lagoon maintenance, landscaping, amenity maintenance), please submit a community concern form.