The Lower Saucon Township, Pa., club plans to build 120 townhouses as part of an effort to increase club memberships, create the opportunity for renovations, and enhance local business.
A plan to build 120 townhouses in Lower Saucon Township, Pa., could provide opportunities to boost membership at historic Silver Creek Country Club, while creating an integrated community that may attract more attention to the sport, Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Business reported.
If approved, the project could cost up to $50 million to build all the houses and infrastructure, according to a local developer, Business reported.
The proposal is looking to create an economic trifecta of:
- Increasing country club memberships.
- Opening opportunities for upgrades and renovations at the club’s properties.
- Enhancing the businesses of the township and nearby borough of Hellertown by having hundreds of residents in an integrated community who would patronize local establishments.
Spearheading the effort along with the club is developer David Spirk of Spirk Bros. Inc. in Bethlehem Township. He approached Lower Saucon Township Council this month with a plan to build country club-style townhouses on three tracts covering about 30 acres at Silver Creek Country Club. Spirk is looking to build the houses through Chesterfield Custom Homes, a wholly owned division of Spirk Bros., Business reported.
The plan calls for developing the tracts as residential units while keeping the 27-hole golf course and club operational. Spirk sees the club and the townhouses benefiting each other in the development, Business reported.
“Each party has a vested interest in the success of the other,” Spirk said. “If the club is successful in attracting new members and the sale of the townhouses is successful, our idea of an integrated system is the ultimate goal.”
Additionally, the owners of the townhouses will own the country club, Business reported.
“We’ve been working on this concept about eight years,” said Jerry Blakeslee, president of Silver Creek. “We believe it was the best way to keep the club viable. We’ve had offers to sell the whole club. We want to save the open space and the whole concept of the club.”
Silver Creek began as the Bethlehem Steel Club in 1948 and covers more than 280 acres. The club has about 375 total golfing members, and with spouses and family members, Blakeslee said, that number rises to more than 600, Business reported.
In its heyday, the club had more than 1,500 members. While the tennis courts and picnic areas are no longer in use and the bowling facilities are gone, the swimming pool, dining and banquet facilities at the clubhouse remain active. Members would like to add upgrades and renovations, since the club regularly hosts everything from wedding ceremonies to conferences, Business reported.
The clubhouse, swimming pool and golf course are principally located in Lower Saucon while some of the golf holes are in Hellertown. The land development approval process should take about a year-and-half, and Spirk said he would like to start infrastructure work in 2016, if all approvals are met, Business reported.
Spirk estimated infrastructure costs, which includes building new roads, to be between $3 million and $5 million. Add construction of the homes, which he suspects will be custom-made and reflect the style of the club, and the total cost could be $30 million to $50 million, Business reported.
Spirk submitted a marketing plan to the township council, and the next step is submitting an engineering-based plan. So far, Spirk said, he’s been getting good “vibes” from the township on the plan, Business reported.
“We think we will enhance our memberships because the people who buy these homes will be members of the club,” Blakeslee said.
The exteriors of the houses will be unified, with a traditional New England style, with the interiors custom-made. The exteriors will be in earthy tones, with stone and white siding, peaked roofs and look not unlike the clubhouse, said Tom Butera, sales and marketing director for Chesterfield Custom Homes.
The townhouses will be built on newly developed, privately owned streets and include first-floor master suites and a golf cart garage that allows members to travel by cart while on Silver Creek property, Business reported.
Economic benefits could derive from an increase in residents from luxury units who visit restaurants and other businesses to spend discretionary income, Business reported.
“Those buyers tend to spend more in town,” Spirk said. “In Hellertown, they may receive the biggest benefit.”
The developers will have to remove trees and subdivide the lots so each townhouse owner will own a lot, he said. Already, Blakeslee said, he has a minimum of 10 members lining up to buy homes, noting that most members of the club tend to live about six to 10 miles away. While the development would not be age-restricted, Spirk said, it would likely attract buyers who are in their 40s and older, Business reported.
“We are trying to be an all year-long facility; we have the ability to grow,” said Robert Osborne, General Manager and COO of the club.
Osborne is looking to develop a golf center and generate more interest in newcomers to the sport, with the goal of creating “the best junior golf program in the Lehigh Valley.”
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