The Haven at New Riverside, Bluffton, SC

About The Haven at New Riverside

The Haven at New Riverside is in Bluffton, in the Beaufort, Bluffton & Hilton Head region of South Carolina. Developer: Del Webb. Status: Open. Age-restricted (55+ community; occupancy rules are set in its recorded governing documents).

The Haven at New Riverside describes itself as an active over-55 Del Webb community in the coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina, set between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Georgia and a short drive from Old Town Bluffton. The community association's home page counts 500 homes and lists gardening, swimming, tennis, pickleball, bocce ball and special interest clubs among the activities. See Bluffton for town-level context on taxes, hurricane exposure and healthcare.

Day-to-day life centers on The Retreat, the main amenity center. The association's page puts it at 8,500 square feet and lists a fitness center, an outdoor Junior Olympic pool, a hot tub, an internet cafe, a ballroom, a card room, billiards, a covered patio, a craft room, a game room, a sun room, a multi-purpose room with a catering kitchen, locker rooms and a pool house. Outdoors it lists four Har-Tru tennis courts, two pickleball courts, two bocce courts, garden plots, a tot lot, walking and biking trails, a fire pit and a dog park. The Retreat page says events are organized by a full-time Activities/Lifestyle Director, and names activities such as aqua aerobics, bridge, Mah Jongg, a golf club, a tennis club, a travel group, wine clubs, painting and a veterans and patriots group.

The association's governing documents page publishes three documents: the Rules and Regulations, the By-Laws and the CC&Rs. The current declaration is the Fourth Amended and Restated Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for The Haven at New Riverside, dated June 28, 2025 and recorded in the Beaufort County Register of Deeds on July 15, 2025 (Book 4448, pages 617 to 686) with an affidavit that records it to meet the requirements of the South Carolina Homeowners Association Act. The Rules and Regulations are dated September 16, 2025. Where the two conflict, the Rules and Regulations themselves say the governing documents control.

Each household receives resident and guest activity cards. The Rules and Regulations say each household is issued two resident and two guest activity cards, used for pool access and for pedestrian gate access at the main and rear gates, and that household guests over 18 may use the amenities without the resident present if they hold a guest card and sign in at the front desk. Owners who rent out a home surrender their own activity cards to the association, and the lessee must meet the same age qualification as an owner.

Rules that affect daily life include a limit of two dogs and two cats plus a reasonable number of other usual household pets, a requirement that dogs be physically controlled outside the dog park, a ban on for-sale signs anywhere in the community (open houses are allowed), and a limit of two people per bedroom. Leases must be in writing, cover the entire home and run at least six contiguous months, under the Rules and Regulations. The declaration separately allows the association to set a minimum lease term of up to 12 months and says no rule may require association consent to lease or transfer a lot. Read the current documents before assuming a short-term or vacation rental is possible; the declaration also contains an arbitration agreement, which a buyer should have an attorney review.

Whatever the home, the association's governing documents, resale disclosure and current budget matter more than a brochure. The declaration calls for an annual budget with a reserve component, lets the board levy special assessments, and caps any single-year increase in the base assessment at 20 percent over the prior year unless a majority of a quorum of members votes to approve more. Title transfers also trigger fees described below. Ask the management company for the current assessment, the most recent reserve study and the closing costs in writing.

Age restrictions at The Haven at New Riverside

Section 2.3 of the Fourth Amended and Restated Declaration (recorded July 15, 2025) reads: "The Haven at New Riverside is intended to provide housing primarily for persons 55 years of age or older. The Properties shall be operated as an age restricted community in compliance with all applicable State and Federal laws. No person under 19 years of age shall reside in any Dwelling Unit for more than 90 days in any calendar year. Each Dwelling Unit, if occupied, shall be occupied by at least one individual 55 years of age or older ('qualifying occupant')." Section 2.3(b) adds that if a qualifying occupant dies or leaves for reasons the board finds reasonable, such as hospitalization, co-habitants may keep owning or occupying the home to the extent federal and state law allow, "provided that at no time shall less than 80% of the Lots subject to this Declaration be occupied by single families where at least one member of the family is a qualifying occupant." The Rules and Regulations repeat that the community was established as age restricted for persons 55 or older and apply the same qualification to renters. Ask the association for its age-verification procedure before an offer.

Housing types at The Haven at New Riverside

• Homes in a Del Webb community of about 500 homes, per the association's home page; the declaration allows a range of lot types, so confirm the style and lot of any specific home with the association.

Pricing at The Haven at New Riverside

Pricing for homes at The Haven comes from individual sellers or the builder's sales team, not from the association. Use recent closed sales from a local agent for pricing, and request the resale disclosure and current governing documents before making an offer.

South Carolina's homestead and property tax rules for owner-occupied residences, including relief for owners over 65, are covered in the South Carolina retirement tax guide, and the Bluffton record explains how Beaufort County assessments work. Confirm the millage and assessment with the county auditor for the specific address.

HOA and fees at The Haven at New Riverside

The monthly or annual assessment amount is set by the board each budget year and is available from the association's management office. The declaration describes a Base Assessment levied equally on all lots to fund the annual budget including a capital contribution to a reserve fund, special assessments for unbudgeted expenses, and a 20 percent cap on any year's base-assessment increase absent a member vote.

Two fees are charged at title transfer under the declaration. A New Member Fee is collected on each transfer of title, paid by the seller unless the parties agree in writing that the buyer pays, and payable at closing. A Community Enhancement Assessment is also collected on each transfer, paid by the buyer, and funds the reserve. Both are exempt for certain transfers, such as to a surviving spouse or heirs, and for owners who held title before specified dates. The declaration sets these fees by board action, not by a dollar figure in the text, so ask the association for the current amounts and a closing cost estimate. The declaration also lets the association charge an administrative fee on a lease or transfer limited to its reasonable administrative cost.

Amenities at The Haven at New Riverside

• The Retreat, an 8,500 square foot clubhouse and amenity center
• Outdoor Junior Olympic pool and hot tub
• State-of-the-art fitness center and fitness classes
• Four Har-Tru tennis courts and two pickleball courts
• Two bocce courts, garden plots and a dog park
• Ballroom, card room, billiards, craft room and game room
• Walking and biking trails
• Full-time Activities/Lifestyle Director with resident clubs and interest groups

Healthcare near The Haven at New Riverside

Beaufort Memorial's Okatie Medical Pavilion at 122 Okatie Center Blvd. North lists primary care, multi-specialty physicians, imaging, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and cancer care, and Hilton Head Medical Center is the inpatient hospital on the island. Measure the route to the clinics and hospital your physicians use. See Bluffton and the healthcare access guide.

Airport access from The Haven at New Riverside

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport's own site lists its airlines and nonstop destinations; the community's home page places The Haven between Hilton Head Island and Savannah so test the drive to the airport at the times you would travel before relying on it.

Why The Haven at New Riverside is included

Age-restricted active-adult community of about 500 homes in Bluffton whose recorded declaration requires at least one occupant aged 55 or older in each occupied home, with an 8,500 square foot clubhouse, tennis, pickleball and bocce.

Alternatives to The Haven at New Riverside

• Sun City Hilton HeadA large Del Webb 55+ community with a Bluffton address, opened in 1995, with three golf courses and recorded CC&Rs requiring a resident aged 55 or older.
• Dataw Island ClubGated 870-acre island with two golf courses, a marina and a community center near Beaufort, where owners join both the Dataw Island Owners Association and the Dataw Island Club and no minimum-age rule appears in the recorded declaration.

Guides relevant to The Haven at New Riverside

• 55-Plus Community vs. Conventional Neighborhood in the Carolinas
• South Carolina Retirement Taxes: Income, Property, Vehicle and Sales Tax