A plan to build a 55-and-up community on a portion of the Bethlehem, Pa., property has met opposition from Save Green Pond Marsh, a group of residents arguing that the land is valuable as a rest area for migratory birds. However, if the project does not come to fruition, 17 of the 24 shareholders have voted to sell the entire course for development.
If a controversial plan to build a 55-and-up community on a portion of Green Pond Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., falls apart, the club’s shareholders are ready to sell the course, the Easton, Pa.-based Express-Times reported.
The 24 shareholders are all relatives of the Lehigh Valley residents that founded the course in the 1930s. Many of the current shareholders—now a few generations removed—have left the region, the Express-Times reported.
“A great many of the stockholders have never even seen or been to Green Pond,” Chairman John Daub said. “They’re as far away as Alaska, North Carolina, Vermont. They’re all over the place.”
Hoping to receive “the full value for their shares,” shareholders opted to sell off a portion of the course and develop it, the Express-Times reported.
“On behalf of the stockholders, I have been trying to develop this land since the late 1990s,” Daub said. “They’re not losing money. We’re giving them a couple hundred dollars a year in dividends. But the shares (have) a value that cannot be realized unless some of the land is sold.”
For two years, high-end active adult housing developer Traditions of America has been trying to develop the site. Traditions is the third developer to submit plans for the property in the last 15 years. The project has drawn opposition from Save Green Pond Marsh, a group of residents opposed to the complex because of the land’s value as an important rest area for migratory birds, the Express-Times reported.
If the Traditions project does not move forward, 17 of the 24 shareholders have voted to sell the entire course for development, paving way for 240 single-family homes or more, Daub said.
The vote was taken this fall as Traditions struggled with approvals, he said. Green Pond shareholders wants township commissioners to understand their stance, the Express-Times reported.
“I think it is important now that they know if they don’t approve the Traditions of America project the stockholders will be left with no choice but to sell the whole property,” said Daub, adding that no developer is going to take on a partial site development if this one fails.
Traditions was scheduled to go before Bethlehem Township Commissioners on Monday seeking affirmation of waivers it already received, but the meeting was canceled due to weather, the Express-Times reported.
“Since this is a revised plan, the reaffirmation was no longer required by the township,” said David Biddison, Traditions of America partner. “The plan and all of the details will be presented at the public hearing on the tentative plan in the coming months.”
The developer now plans to submit its revised plans to the township for approval of a 229-home community. A hearing has not yet been scheduled, the Express-Times reported.
“We have shown a commitment to the project and a willingness to try to address concerns of the residents over the last two years,” Biddison said. “If the township is not for a Traditions of America project, then we are obviously in a difficult position.”
Most of the shareholders would prefer to sell 110 of its 238 acres to Traditions and keep the course open, the Express-Times reported.
“It is very important to me. I would be very very unhappy and very sad,” Daub said. “Our company has been in business for over 80 years. We have 11 full time employees, 60 part-time employees that rely upon us to give them a reasonable living.”
Traditions has scaled back its original 261 home proposal, decreased the paved areas and increased the wetlands buffer, Biddison said. “I think we have listened to all of the feedback from the experts, the engineers and the neighbors and have revised our plan accordingly to address concerns,” Biddison said. “We believe that this last plan is a good compromise between all of the competing interests.”
Michael Ryan, who lives with his family directly across from the golf course, said Traditions has made great strides in keeping residents informed about the project and how they’re balancing all the concerns. He’s quite pleased with the new proposal and sees minimal areas of concerns, the Express-Times reported.
“After learning what John Daub and the Green Pond Golf Course’s board intentions are if this plan does not get approved, we are even more motivated to support the Traditions of America development ensuring that the green space and wetlands are protected by appropriate deed restrictions,” Ryan said.
The land Traditions plans to develop are largely used for agriculture now but about five acres of the land is in a shallow depression that experiences periodic flooding. This has created the unique migratory habitat. When Traditions learned of the bird habitat, it modified its plans and moved the homes over 300 feet away from the wetlands and created a minimum buffer of 50-100 feet around them, Biddison said. The plan calls for 29 acres of open space in and around the wetlands, the Express-Times reported.
“We fully embrace the responsibility of preserving and maintaining the wetlands environment on the property,” according to Green Pond.
An environmental review by Princeton Hydro finds Traditions’ new plan increases the amount of open space and the buffer around the habitat by eliminating a western entrance. “We are not touching the wetlands or Green Pond,” Biddison said. “They are 100 percent preserved under our plan.”
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