The Peninsula

BY JIM PARKER
Of The Post and Courier Staff

The No. 1 item on many home shoppers' wish lists is this: Find a house in a well-to-do community that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Yet more times than not, potential buyers eventually strike through their dream objective -- reluctantly conceding they won't wind up with property that's marketed at a reasonable dollar figure and possessing a sought-after address.

Now builder D.R. Horton believes it has come up with an answer: The Peninsula, a development off Clements Ferry Road that eventually will have more than 230 homes and 80 townhomes.

"Really what's ideal about it is the affordability," said Jennifer Pencarinha, spokeswoman for the huge Texas-based company. Home prices run from $103,000 to $176,990. "It's close to the beach and Mount Pleasant, but you're not paying Mount Pleasant prices (that typically run $200,000 and up)," she said.

The community, built among the pine forests of southern Berkeley County, is within the Charleston city limits and just a few miles from Interstate 526.

D.R. Horton has 115 homes and 15 townhomes under construction. The subdivision has had all types of residents move in. "Basically, they are first-time homebuyers but obviously, we see quite a few people downsizing as well," said Theresa Lufkin, sales associate.

The Peninsula is divided into three areas: Island Club townhomes, and Waters Edge and River Landing homesites. Sidewalks run throughout the sections. Homebuyers in each sector can choose from a host of floor plans.

The first construction phases are townhomes on River Reach Road near the entrance to The Peninsula and single-family dwellings near the amenity center. Future phases call for townhomes on Island Club Drive and single-family homes between River Reach Road and Peninsula Cove Drive.

The Island Club models include the one-story ranch Southwyck and the Ashton, Brookshire, Dillon and Carlysle townhomes. River Landing has the one-story Northwyck, Monroe and Columbia models along with the two-story Pennington, Loring, Davis, Essex and Ashforde designs. Waters Edge includes the one-story Savannah, Beaufort, Carson, Pinehurst and Thompson and two-story Springfield, Garrison, Victor and Mackenzie.

The dwellings, which are vinyl-sided with brick highlights available on some models, range from two to four bedrooms and 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 baths. The homes and townhomes range in size from 994 square feet to 2,106 square feet. They come with one-year builder warranties.

Single-family homes are built with one- or two-car garages; the townhomes have optional detached one-car garages. Typical features include maple cabinets, great rooms, vaulted and sloped ceilings and enclosed porches called lanais.

Depending on the plan, options can include sunrooms, media rooms, fireplaces, bay windows and structured wiring to permit owners to hook up high-speed Internet and Surround Sound.

"We've got a quite a variety," Pencarinha said. "It's been real successful for us."

In addition, the Peninsula has an eye-catching, centrally located amenity center that includes playgrounds, a large pool and a red and white bathhouse topped by a cupola (a roof fixture that, incidentally, is incorporated in the neighborhood logo).

Island Club townhomes will have a separate pool. One more thing: The builder set aside nine deep-water lots at the end of River Reach Road on the Wando River. The sites are permitted for boat slips.

The Peninsula has benefited from strong sales. "I think it surprised us," Pencarinha said, even though the builder believes it is offering popular home styles in an attractive area.

Formed as a family business 25 years ago, D.R. Horton has grown to be the largest homebuilder in the United States by volume. The company is in 20 states, including South Carolina. Its developments are along the coast, from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head Island to Greater Charleston.

To reach The Peninsula from downtown Charleston, take Interstate 26 to the Mount Pleasant exit for I-526. Follow I-526 to the Clements Ferry north exit. Take Clements Ferry six miles to The Peninsula, which is on the right.