The Riviera
The property owners association that covers most of the island's homes and runs Lake Josephine, the golf course, and the restaurant. Here's what it is and what's open to you.
The club that shaped the island.
The Riviera Community Club is a property owners association that covers roughly a third of the island's land and around 70% of its homes. If you spend any time here, you'll hear it called "the Riv."
If you're moving here, there's a good chance the house you're looking at is inside it, which means dues, rules, and a say in how a big chunk of the island runs. If you're visiting, what matters is which of its amenities you can use - and more is open to the public than people expect. Here's a plain look at both.
What the Riviera is - and isn't.
A property owners association this big raises a few natural questions. The short answers:
What it is
- A property owners association, founded in 1966
- About a third of the island's land, around 70% of its homes
- The owner and manager of Lake Josephine, its beaches, the marina, campground, member parks, golf course, and the Lakeshore Restaurant
- Funded by annual member assessments
- Governed by an elected board of trustees
What it isn't
- Not gated - there's no guard shack and no checkpoint
- Not private roads - the roads through it are public, and anyone can drive them
- Not the island's government - that's Pierce County and the various districts
- Not the road maintainer - the Riviera does not maintain the roads that run through it
- Not the same as the Anderson Island Community Club, which is a separate public clubhouse
What visitors can use.
Some Riviera amenities are open to everyone; most are for members and their guests. The rule of thumb: if money changes hands at a counter, it's probably public.
Note that Lake Florence is a different story - it's reachable by the public through Park District spots like Tom White Park and the Ol' Swimming Hole. It's Lake Josephine and the Riviera's own lake parks that are members-only. Members' guests can generally use member amenities when accompanied or registered, so if you're visiting someone in the Riviera, ask them about guest access.
"For the fun years."
The Riviera began in 1966, when the development started as a 32-lot subdivision called Surf and Sands Estates around Lake Josephine. The original marketing pitched it as a recreational getaway - "for the fun years" - and the recreational character stuck.
It grew into roughly 3,100 lots with around 800 homes built so far. The signs you'll see at the member parks - "Private Park for Riviera Community Club Members and their Guests" - are the practical face of all this: the amenities are real, well-kept, and reserved for the people who pay to maintain them.
RCC and AICC are two different things.
The names sit close together, so it's worth a line: the Riviera Community Club (RCC) is the property owners association covered on this page. The Anderson Island Community Club (AICC) is separate - a public clubhouse on Yoman Road, maintained by the American Legion, open to the whole island.
We cover the AICC and the island's other organizations on the Organizations page.
Dues, rules, and member services.
Annual assessments, governing documents, board meetings, facility reservations, and member logins all live on the Riviera's own site. If you own in the Riviera or are about to, that's where the current details are.
More about the island.
Organizations
The fire district, parks district, historical society, the public Community Club, and the rest of the island's civic life.
Read MoreThe Riviera Explained
The deeper explainer on living inside versus outside the Riviera - the practical differences for buyers and residents.
Read MoreLakes & Beaches
The two lakes, the swimming areas, and which water access is public versus reserved for Riviera members.
Read More