We Lost our Old Club House. What say you
We received a notice from Shea (a former developer in Wickenburg Ranch, and now just a builder), that they are turning our old club into their sales office and homeowners can no longer use the old club. Here are a few particulars: Renovation… or Eviction? What’s Really Happening with the Old Clubhouse?
🧩 What We Know:
The lot the clubhouse sits on is officially called Lot 182.
In the original State Public Report (filed with the Arizona Department of Real Estate), that lot was clearly marked as recreational—not for private use or resale.
But here’s the kicker: the HOA never owned it. The developer, Wickenburg Development Co. LLC, still does. (Larry Van Tuyl)
And now, rumor has it that this “renovation” might involve tearing it down and building private homes—or even a personal estate, but in the interim will be used as a Shea sales office.
💸 Did We Pay for It?
Yes.
Through your HOA assessments—especially the “Recreational Assessments” line item.
That money helped operate and maintain this clubhouse for years, just like any shared amenity.
But if the lot was never deeded to the HOA and is still privately owned, it’s like paying rent on a building… and then getting evicted with no notice.
⚖️ Why That Matters Legally
If a developer promises a clubhouse in a state filing, but never gives it to the HOA—that’s a misrepresentation under Arizona law.
If we’re paying HOA fees to support a facility we don’t own, and can’t access—that may violate nonprofit tax rules and consumer protection laws.
If the plan is to sell that land or build a private home on it, that’s essentially taking community value and turning it into private profit.
🏠 Bottom Line:
We were told this would be our clubhouse.
We paid for it like it was our clubhouse.
Now we’re locked out—and it’s still sitting on developer-owned land.
📎 We’re raising this with:
The Arizona Department of Real Estate
The IRS
The Arizona Attorney General
All we’re asking for is fairness, transparency, and the community amenities we were promised.
If you agree—it’s time to ask some questions.
If you’re confused—you’re not alone.
And if you’re “renovating” a clubhouse you never gave away in the first place… well, that’s a story we’d all like to hear.
– WR Right to Know
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Geraldine,
Your community is totally out of control. Once again, I don’t believe that any of the organizations that you are contacting can do anything to address these issues.
The developer cannot make a change to the public offering report for the subdivision without first filing an amendment with the commissioner of the Department of Real Estate. This is part of subdivision law not planned community law.
File a complaint directly to the commissioner of ADRE on potential subdivision public offering violations.
Dennis
Dennis, the information Geraldine Lavallee is giving you is not factual. To start with she isnt an Owner. She moved in the end of May 2024. She was going after our HOA for all sorts of financial documents, which she is not entitled to. She did the same thing at Encantera. Taking on HOAs is a Blood Sport for her.
Peggy,
As I’ve mentioned before I’m not interested in having this web site used as a social media page. If people have a question I try the best I can to answer their question. I cannot live in the over 10,000 different communities in this state but understand that anyone that post a question or concern on my cite is coming from their specific perspective. There are always two sides to every issue, and I’ve heard most issue over and over again. Without going to your community and meeting with multiple members of your community I’m not about to say anything about who is right or wrong on any issue. It could very well be that no-one is right or that no-one is wrong they simply have different perspectives. Just looking at how your governing documents are written it is clear to me that the developer exceeded his authority to bind all of you to the commitment in your declaration. Whether you like your community I suppose will depend on if you are an avid golfer and believe that you have real value in the relationship between the association and the golf course especially because every other member of the community that does not golf is subsidizing your playing time. If your association owned the golf course and it was part of the common property that would be fine, but your association does not own the golf course and the developer had no right to mandate that all homeowners pay for the community membership to his golf course.
These are the facts as I see them from your documents and while everyone had the opportunity to see the CC&R’s (hopefully) before they bought their homes it may not have been obvious to anyone that this rare and very unusual situation and commitment existed within that document.
I’ll gladly travel to your community and meet and talk with anyone from your community any time free of any charges if that would help all of you.
Dennis
Peggy, I don’t know who you are or where you’re getting your information, but much of what you’ve said is false — and honestly, quite reckless.
First, your claim about Encanterra is completely unfounded. I never filed a single complaint — not with the HOA, the developer, or anyone else. During that time, I was focused on caring for my aging mother and my terminally ill husband. The suggestion that I was somehow waging “war” on an HOA is not only untrue, it’s profoundly disrespectful.
Second, while the home at Wickenburg Ranch is held in a trust — a common and entirely lawful structure — I am a homeowner. I live here. I pay assessments here. I have every right under Arizona law to request financial records and to speak up when something seems wrong.
Also, may I ask who you are? Your name doesn’t appear to be familiar to me in the community, and I can’t find any public connection. If you’re going to make personal accusations, it would be helpful — and more fair — if you weren’t doing so from behind what seems like an alias.
You’re entitled to your views. But making false public claims about people you don’t know crosses a line. Please be more careful in the future.
Geraldine,
I allowed this post to be published on this site only because I allowed the earlier post to be published. But this has to stop I will not allow my site to become a social media site. And will not allow any further post from anyone attacking any other individual homeowner. People need to understand that making false and unsubstantiated claims of alleged facts that are blatantly false can be treated as Defamation and can and will have legal consequences. I will not risk my site to litigation based on post of individual homeowners attacking any other homeowner or board member that I cannot personally substantiate. Those attempted post will be simply trashed and never see the light of day.
Dennis
Hi Dennis: I did file with ADRE on the Lot 182 issue and it is now officially under investigation. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and we would love to have you down to speak with our community. I think in the fall would be great—when all the snowbirds return. So, hoping to see you after the first snowfall.