The Lawrenceville, N.J., club is selling about 15 of its 140 acres to national builder Lennar Homes, which will construct 97 townhouses on land now used as a golf practice area. The club is planning to spend $3 million on a golf-course renovation and another $2 million on its clubhouse and pool facilities.
Officials at Greenacres County Club hope a new housing project will boost membership at the 78-year-old club, NewJersey.com reported. As part of the plan, the club will undergo a much-needed makeover of its course, clubhouse and other amenities.
As the club looked at ways to fund its $5 million renovation project, NJ.com reported, the idea of building housing on the golf course was floated as a way to fund the work.
Greenacres will sell about 15 acres of its total of 140 acres to Lennar Homes. According to NJ.com, the company will build 97 townhouses on land now used as a golf practice area.
The development was approved by an 8-to-1 vote in November by the Lawrence Township planning board, clearing a major hurdle for construction.
The sale price for the land was not disclosed, though Alan Gamble, the club’s General Manager, said it would be several million dollars.
“It does give us the capital funds that we need to pay for these renovations,” Gamble told NJ.com. “That’s really the main purpose. Then, frankly, revenues will follow.”
Currently, Greenacres has about 200 members, but the addition of the new residents will increase its membership to 300, which is the number of members a club of its size expects to have, Gamble said.
The sale is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017 and the renovations will begin soon after.
According to club officials, the practice range that is now in the land that is being sold will be moved to land that was not being used to clear the way for the development. The 18-hole course will undergo a $3 million makeover, resulting in a completely new course, NJ.com reported. Golf course architect Bobby Weed, who specializes in redesigning and repurposing courses, will be hired for the renovation.
“A lot of bunkers that used to be hazards for bunkers are no longer,” Gamble said in describing the course work. “With the new equipment, the golfers are going right over their bunkers and hitting the ball further than they used to. So the whole golf course will be renovated in a more modern style.”
During the 11-month course overhaul, arrangements have been made for Greenacres’ members to golf at nearby Hopewell Valley Golf & Country Club, NJ.com reported.
Another $2 million will be spend on renovations to the clubhouse and pool to give both facilities a facelift, Gamble told NJ.com. Casual-dining options will also be added to give members somewhere other than a formal dining area to eat.
The Lennar development will be an active-adult community for those 55 and older. The new townhouses will be spread over 17 buildings with views that overlook the golf course as much as possible, project architect Josh Eckert told NJ.com.
While communities geared toward adults often have common areas that can include clubhouses and pools, the new development won’t have any, NJ.com reported. Instead, residents will be required to join Greenacres CC as social members, giving them unlimited access to most of the the club’s amenities, Gamble said. Tennis and golf privileges will require an upgraded membership.
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