The Sea Palms West Community Association voted to purchase the nine-hole Saint Simons Island, Ga. property and convert it into a 48-acre green space to prevent further residential development. The association secured a loan to help cover the $2 million purchase price.
The neighborhood association of Sea Palms West homeowners voted to purchase the nine-hole West 9 Golf Course and convert it into green space, reported The Brunswick News. The association did so to prevent further residential development on the property.
Members of the Sea Palms West Community Association voted overwhelmingly on September 8th to amend its covenant to allow it to buy the golf course, said Jennifer Broadus, Sea Palms West resident and spokeswoman for the association, the News reported.
Clark said the association confirmed the golf course was up for sale in May, reported the News. The association’s board of directors started negotiations with the course’s owner, Atlanta-based Ardent Companies, which culminated in the vote to allow for the purchase of the property.
“The only way we could ensure the land didn’t get developed is to buy it ourselves,” said Miles Clark, Sea Palms resident and president of the association.
The association doesn’t own the property yet, however, the News reported. It is scheduled to close on the property in November, Broadus said. It needed a loan to cover the $2 million price tag, she added.
Should the deal go through, homeowners will be assessed and pay additional dues based on their assessment to the association to cover debt payments, Clark said.
The association’s acquisition of the property means the end of the land as a golf course, Broadus said, as it will be converted into a park, the News reported.
“It (the golf course) was the centerpiece of our community, and as such we’re going to be one of the few communities that has a 48-acre green space and nature park right there in the middle of our community,” Broadus said.
Securing the land may also lead to higher property values in the neighborhood, Broadus added.
“Now that we have the time to catch our breath, we can focus on the best ways to maintain the property,” Clark said in the release, “Clearly, we intend to keep it as natural green space. In the months to come, we will look into all of the best options to preserve the property for the betterment of the entire Sea Palms West community.”
The course, completed in the late 1970s, predated houses in Sea Palms West, Broadus said. Golf courses have been closing across the country, she said, and she’s glad Sea Palms has the chance to prevent theirs from being developed into more houses, reported the News.
“We’re very grateful to all 340 members of our association for support this, so we can protect the property, and protect the value of our homes as well,” Broadus said
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