Jimmy Buffett plays at the Meyer Amphitheatre on Nov. 03, 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Buffett died in 2023, but the lifestyle he inspired lives on in Latitude Margaritaville communities.
Joe Raedle
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Far from the nearest beach, a cool ocean breeze blows through the rice-growing fields of Sutter County.
For county officials, it’s both unexpected and a long time coming.
Sutter County supervisors voiced excitement and relief while approving clerical changes that clear the way for a Margaritaville-themed retirement community to rise from the low-lying fields of the county’s southern tip, not far from Sacramento.
For more than 20 years, county officials have planned for, and toiled with, what to do with the rare swath of developable land outside of Yuba City, as most of the unincorporated county has been designated as too flood prone for development.
But none of the early planners would have envisioned the proposal now taking shape: a Jimmy Buffett-inspired community for adults 55 and older, complete with guitar-shaped parks, a lagoon-like pool and, of course, a concert stage at the center of it all.
To boot, the proposed Latitude Margaritaville branded retirement community, whose first building phase would include more than 1,100 homes, would be more than 80 miles from the ocean as the crow flies.
“You don’t imagine a Margaritaville in the rice field in Sutter County,” said Dan Flores, Sutter County supervisor. “And this is just a really great opportunity for the county to be placed on the map and be attractive from an economic development standpoint.”
The evolution of Sutter Pointe
The county approved Lakeside at Sutter Pointe years ago as the first allotment carved out of the larger 7,500-acre Sutter Pointe project, which the county formally set in motion in 2009 but had discussed and planned for years before that.
To move the project forward, supervisors on Tuesday approved new project maps that consolidated planned amenities into one large 14-acre area north of the lake in the Lakeside development, and allowed permits for developers to build up to 20 model homes, four in each of five villages.
They also set in motion the formation of two new county service areas, which would provide law enforcement, fire protection, road and drainage services for Sutter Pointe and other parts of the southern county.
Developers and county staff are negotiating more nuanced changes to the project to bring before the county planning commission in April, then advance to supervisors in May before building permits for the development’s homes can be issued, said Neal Hay, Sutter County development services director.
“To get Sutter Pointe going, you’ve got to get a project out of the ground, and that’s what this really does,” George Carpenter, Winn Communities developer, told supervisors. “This will plant a flag and say Sutter County is open for business.”
As planned, Sutter Pointe — at the southern end of the county flush against the Sacramento and Placer county lines — could grow to include up to 17,500 homes, effectively forming a new city while attracting businesses and expanding the tax base for the cash-strapped county.
The Lakeside partnership between Winn Communities and Lennar — the first of Sutter Pointe to be developed — totals 875 acres, about 386 of which are included in the first phase of design and construction. Although Lakeside developers had planned to build the first homes for adults 55 and up, the details of that recently evolved to incorporate the Margaritaville brand and lifestyle experience.
The rest of the project was originally planned to include neighborhoods, parks and commercial space without retirement-community deed restrictions. Those plans have not been formally submitted, but may now include more 55-and-up housing in the final two phases of construction. The total Lakeside development could total more than 3,700 homes.
“We really do think this is the best approach and this really gives us the best opportunity to increase the absorption and get the Lakeside community built out as soon as it can be, because we think that’s what’s best for the community,” Carpenter said.
Wasting away again in … Sutter County? 
Jimmy Buffett was the easygoing singer-songwriter best known for his hit 1977 song “Margaritaville.” Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
The Margaritaville brand, championed by Buffett and carried on posthumously since his 2023 death, includes bars, restaurants, vacation destinations and cruise lines. What would arise in Sutter County, should developers get their way, is a large-scale Latitude Margaritaville community, of which there are few, and none on the West Coast.
“These have been described as like a resort, social club and suburban neighborhood all mixed into one, with a permanent island vacation vibe,” Carpenter said.
Three similar communities — in Daytona Beach and Watersound, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina — opened as Latitude Margaritaville retirement communities in recent years, all three of which Minto Communities built.
Frame grab from promotional video for Latitude Margaritaville in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Latitude Margaritaville video
The proposed Sutter County iteration would be built by Lennar and Winn Communities, which have partnered on the Lakeside project for years.
The Margaritaville homes are designed and constructed with a beach-house aesthetic and decor, and center around large activity hubs that include swimming pools, concert and theater space, and a fitness center.
“There’s going to be street names like Turquoise Avenue, and Coral Reef Street,” Carpenter said. “Parks are going to be shaped like a flip-flop or a guitar. So it really gets into the theme of the lifestyle.”
The other themed communities were built near the coast, making the Sutter County proposal significantly more inland than its East Coast siblings.
The social experience of living in Margaritaville, focused around the central activity space, drives much of the interest.
“What’s really at the heart of this though is the social life,” Carpenter said. “People move to these communities because they want to be social, because they want to be connected with other people.”
The social aspect draws residents to the Buffett-themed communities, tapping into the laid-back, beach-going lifestyle reminiscent of the sight of tank-tops and the smell of sunscreen.
“All of these amenities are designed with the intent to make it feel like you’re on vacation or at a resort in your own community,” Sean McDermott, Lennar planning consultant, told supervisors. “That creates a real sense of community for the residents involved, and we’re looking forward to bringing that opportunity to Sutter County.”
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Jake Goodrick covers Sutter County for The Sacramento Bee as part of the California Local News Fellowship Program through UC Berkeley. He previously reported and edited for the Gillette News Record in northeast Wyoming.