Del Webb at Riverlights, Wilmington, NC

About Del Webb at Riverlights

Del Webb at Riverlights is in Wilmington, in the Wilmington & Cape Fear region of North Carolina. Developer: Del Webb (Riverlights master developer: Brookfield Properties). Status: Sold out (resale market). Age-restricted (55+ community; occupancy rules are set in its recorded governing documents).

Riverlights is a 1,400-acre master-planned community on the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, between downtown Wilmington and Carolina Beach. The developer's FAQ says it is home to nearly 1,300 families and will have about 3,000 homes when complete. Inside it sits a Del Webb neighborhood that the developer describes as a 55+ neighborhood. The Riverlights active-adult page says plainly that the Del Webb neighborhood is now sold out, and the 55+ lifestyle page repeats that Riverlights includes a Del Webb 55+ neighborhood, now sold out, while the rest of the community welcomes families of all ages and life stages. A buyer interested in the Del Webb neighborhood is therefore looking at resale homes, not builder inventory.

Residents of the Del Webb neighborhood have their own private amenities. The developer says those amenities are exclusive to Del Webb residents and are not shared with the traditional Riverlights neighborhoods, and that there are no restaurants in the Del Webb neighborhood, although Marina Village, elsewhere in Riverlights, has several. The FAQ lists Marina Village businesses including The Getaway Cafe and Provisions, Shore Break Bikes, Southern Shores Bottle Shop, Smoke on the Water Restaurant, Girls with Dough and a nail bar, and says the village is walkable, has parking for golf carts and hosts markets, concerts, movies in the park, car shows and art walks through the year. The developer encourages golf carts throughout the community.

Community-wide rules in the FAQ apply to everyone inside Riverlights: the community is not gated, it has no dog breed restrictions, RVs, boats and jet skis may not be parked in the community, street parking is not allowed although overflow lots are available, and fences are regulated by the homeowners association and its design review committee. Riverlights is on Wilmington municipal water and sewer and is a gas community, with lines for generators and gas appliances. The developer lists a book club, a nature and gardening group, a biking club, a wine club, a Bunco group, a ladies' fitness group and a kayaking group among its social clubs, and says a social committee plans events throughout the year. The Del Webb neighborhood has its own homeowners association with its own recorded declaration, so ask that association which clubs and activities it runs.

Because Riverlights is inside the City of Wilmington, city and county property tax both apply. New Hanover County's historic rates page lists, per $100 of assessed value for 2026, City of Wilmington .3315, New Hanover County .3020 and Debt Services .0040; the NC Department of Revenue's 2025-26 table lists the county at .3060 with its latest revaluation in 2025 and next in 2029. On a home assessed at $400,000 the county and debt-services rows would produce $1,224 and the city rate $1,326, for $2,550 a year before any special charge (our arithmetic, for illustration only). See Wilmington for the full city rate discussion and the NC retirement taxes guide for income-tax rules. For a 55+ alternative in Brunswick County with a current builder inventory, see Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory Creek in Leland.

Age restrictions at Del Webb at Riverlights

The recorded Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Del Webb at RiverLights (New Hanover County Register of Deeds, Book 6028, Page 2703, recorded January 5, 2017) states in Section 2.5 that "Del Webb at RiverLights is intended to provide housing primarily for persons 55 years of age or older" and that "the Properties shall be operated as an age restricted community in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws." It provides that "each Lot, if occupied, shall be occupied by at least one (1) individual 55 years of age or older" and that "at all times, at least eighty percent (80%) of the improved and occupied Lots within the Properties shall be occupied by at least one (1) individual 55 years of age or older." No person under 19 may stay overnight in a lot for more than 90 days in any consecutive 12 months. Once a lot is occupied by an age-qualified occupant, other qualified residents may continue to occupy it, so long as that would not breach the 80 percent requirement. No owner under 55 may occupy a lot except in compliance with the section, leases must require an age-qualified resident, and every sale or lease agreement must disclose the age restriction. Owners must notify the board in writing of any change in occupancy, and the association may fine for late notice. The declarant reserved the right to sell lots to buyers aged 50 to 55. The hardship exception is at the board's discretion and only where federal and state law remain satisfied. Read the full declaration and the association's current age-verification policy before buying.

Housing types at Del Webb at Riverlights

• Single-family homes (Del Webb neighborhood; resale only)

Pricing at Del Webb at Riverlights

The developer's pages do not list current Del Webb prices because the neighborhood is sold out. Resale prices depend on the individual house; use recent sold data from a licensed agent and a current appraisal. Elsewhere in Riverlights the developer still markets low-maintenance single-level homes, townhomes, traditional single-family homes, luxury semi-custom homes and rental options, and those homes are not described as age-restricted; the developer says all Riverlights homes are purchased through one of its builders and lots are not sold separately.

HOA and fees at Del Webb at Riverlights

The Riverlights FAQ gives monthly association fees for the neighborhoods it markets: $145 a month ($1,740 a year) for traditional single-family homes, $250 a month for homes in The Haven (an all-ages active-living neighborhood whose fee includes lawn care) and $519 a month ($6,228 a year) for Lakeside Townes. None of those figures is a Del Webb fee. The FAQ says Del Webb residents have separate private amenities. The Del Webb at RiverLights declaration creates a separate association, Del Webb at RiverLights Homeowners Association, Inc., alongside the master RiverLights Community Association, Inc., and provides for an initial working-capital contribution of $1,000 on the first owner's purchase from the declarant (changeable by the declarant or association). Ask the seller or the association for the current Del Webb dues and master-association assessment, what they include, whether lawn care or other services are covered, any reserve study and any special assessments. The developer notes that in the traditional neighborhood every homeowner maintains their own lot, and that fence rules are set by the HOA and its design review committee. Request the budget, the governing documents and the resale certificate before contract.

Amenities at Del Webb at Riverlights

• Private Del Webb neighborhood amenities, exclusive to Del Webb residents
• Marina Village shopping and dining within Riverlights (Smoke on the Water restaurant, Getaway Cafe, Girls with Dough)
• Riverlights trails, parks, dog parks and river pier (confirm which are open to Del Webb residents)
• Social clubs and a social committee across Riverlights, including biking, kayaking, wine, book and gardening groups

Healthcare near Del Webb at Riverlights

The Riverlights FAQ says the closest hospital, Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center, is less than 5 miles away and that the closest grocery store, a Harris Teeter, is 2.5 miles away. Novant describes the hospital as the region's only Level II Trauma Center and lists cardiac care, orthopedics, oncology, pediatrics, women's health and rehabilitation among its services. These are developer-stated distances; confirm the drive time for your own routine.

Airport access from Del Webb at Riverlights

Riverlights lists the nearest beaches as Carolina Beach (10 to 11 miles, depending on the page) and Wrightsville Beach (12 miles), and UNCW at 7 miles. Wilmington International Airport's home page shows a map of 25 nonstop destinations on seven airlines: American, Avelo, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue, Sun Country and United. Check the drive time to the airport from a specific address before you buy.

Why Del Webb at Riverlights is included

The Del Webb neighborhood inside Riverlights in Wilmington is described by the Riverlights developer as a 55+ neighborhood with its own private amenities; it is now sold out of new homes, so buyers enter through resale.

Alternatives to Del Webb at Riverlights

• Del Webb Wilmington at Mallory CreekA Del Webb 55+ community of ranch-style single-family homes in Leland, with an amenity clubhouse, indoor and outdoor pools and pickleball courts.
• St. James PlantationA gated golf-and-marina master-planned community inside the incorporated Town of St. James near Southport, with 81 holes of golf, a beach club on Oak Island and a large retiree population but no age restriction.

Guides relevant to Del Webb at Riverlights

• 55-Plus Community vs. Conventional Neighborhood in the Carolinas