For some Landfall residents, it was love at first sight when they first visited the development. For others, the love affair took a while to blossom. 

Sherri and Art Drogue were living in Winston-Salem in 1992 when they got a pamphlet touting “an up-and-coming development” in Wilmington. Sherri Drogue recalled that the couple came to see the development, called Landfall, but with no plans to purchase. 

“We had someone take us around and fell in love with Landfall,” she said. “We decided we had better buy a lot. In those days, you had to own a lot, at least, to belong to the country club. So we bought the smallest lot we could find and paid our country club dues.”

Over the years, as Art Drogue’s career took the couple back to the Northeast, the Drogues visited Wilmington twice a year, staying at the Marriott and enjoying the amenities of their Country Club of Landfall membership.  

When Art Drogue began planning his retirement from Unilever, the couple decided that they wanted to live at Landfall full-time.

“Being from the Northeast, we wanted seasons. North Carolina has seasons, but they are not severe,” Sherri Drogue explained.

They also wanted a larger lot, one on the water. “There weren’t too many pickings, but we found one and sold our other lot,” she said. 

They chose an architect from among those suggested by Landfall and began working on plans for their retirement home in 2008. Construction began in 2010, andthey moved into the completed home in February of this year. 

Alvah and Janice Bohannon also chose Landfall as their retirement destination, but only after a long courtship. The Virginia couple’s first visit to Wilmington was in 1986, before Interstate 40 came through. They were not impressed.

A conference held at Wrightsville Beach in 1992 showed them what a difference a few years – and an interstate highway – can make. 

They switched their beach vacation destination from North Myrtle Beach to Wilmington. Friends began joining them.

One such couple purchased a lot in Landfall, but the Bohannans had dreams of living on Wrightsville Beach.

“Then came the hurricanes [in the 1990s]. And we also started thinking about beach traffic and parking,” Alvah Bohannon said. 

The couple moved their boat to Wilmington and began spending more time in the area. 

“The more we stayed here, the more we liked it,” Alvah Bohannon. “Soon, a lot came up for resale that we had seen earlier and liked. By that time, we probably knew 30 couples in Landfall.” 

Bohannon sold his car dealership, the couple bought the lot and they joined the country club. They have both enjoyed playing golf and tennis, and value the friendships they’ve made through these and other Landfall community activities. 

But they also find plenty of interest beyond the Landfall gates.

“Wilmington is a city and beach combined, with cultural and historical amenities,” Alvah Bohannon said. 

“There are so many things to do. Sometimes it’s frustrating because there will be four things going on at the same time, and we can’t get to them all. We’re four hours away from our daughters, who live in Richmond and Lynchburg, Va. We have a friend who cat-sits for us when we go visit them.”

“Location makes Landfall distinctive, with great access to shopping, restaurants, downtown and the airport, all of which are within 15 minutes’ drive,” said Vance Young, an agent with Intracoastal Realty. “It’s wrapped by city and beach, and offers a water-oriented lifestyle, with golf and tennis thrown in.”

That experience has been true of Bill Anlyan, who came to the coast 21 years ago to take an administrative position at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. 

“When Elaine and I moved to Wilmington, there was a larger selection of homes in Landfall than there was in the rest of town,” he said. 

“It’s been ideal for us … And we’ve gotten involved. I’ve been on the board of the Landfall Foundation and have seen remarkable growth in the foundation’s giving back to the community.”

Young, who cut his teeth in real estate working for Landfall developer J.P. Goforth as the project was just getting off the ground, has noted the decision-making process that leads retirees to Landfall – or not.

First, he said, it’s a choice between Florida and not-Florida. Older retirees tend to trek farther south. Then it’s a choice between gated and non-gated communities. 

Young said that folks who choose to live in Landfall like the planned nature of the community and its zoning restrictions. 

“While some people may view them negatively,” he said, “our buyers see them as positives.”

Anlyan and his wife love the aesthetic nature of the community, with its carefully tended landscapes and high-quality development – all the result of zoning and building restrictions. 

Architect Cothran Harris takes – what else? – an architectural view of the people who choose to live in Landfall. Some, he believes, want to tell others how well they’ve done in their careers, and design what he calls a “look at me” house. 

“Then there are people who value privacy and like the idea of building on a large lot with a view of the water and who take advantage of landscaping to create privacy,” Harris said. “The gates and security guard also give them a sense of security, especially if the husband or wife 

travels on business a good deal, leaving the rest of the family in the home for long periods.”

Harris describes a third group of residents, who are retired and travel for pleasure. 

“They may leave the house empty for a month and know it’s going to 

be looked after,” he said.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Landfall’s residents include a significant number of seasoned and retired top executives, including:

Art Drogue, former senior vice president at Unilever
Kenneth Garrett, former president of AT&T Global Network Services
Ed Horrigan, former president and CEO of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Bob LaBant, former senior vice president and general manager of IBM North America
Richard Morrison, former international executive of Eli Lilly
John Wendt, former senior vice president-general manager of L’Oreal Cosmetic and Fragrance and president of Maybelline

Source: Forbes, Vance Young realtor