The Silver Spring Golf and Banquet Center in Menomonee Falls, Wis. and the former Republic Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas, which closed in the spring, may be turned into mixed-use housing developments, pending local approvals. Ryan Cass, Manager of the 278-acre golf course at Silver Spring, said a 440-home subdivision for that property doesn’t make sense, because about 54 acres of wetlands surround the Fox River.
While many golf courses have seen a jump in rounds played during the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of closure and redevelopment is still a very real concern across the industry.
The Silver Spring Golf and Banquet Center in Menomonee Falls, Wis. may house a 440-home subdivision instead of a golf course, if city officials approve, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The residential development concept plan went before the planning commission August 4. Results were not available as of press time.
Village President Dave Glasgow told the Journal Sentinel the meeting was for the commission to hear the plan and ask questions. The commission would not take any action on the plan.
“We will listen, provide feedback and they will come back [to the planning commission],” he said.
Ryan Cass, Manager of the 278-acre golf course, told the Journal Sentinel course management does not want it sold.
“We want it as a golf course,” Cass said.
He also said because of the wetland area, a residential development does not make sense, the Journal Sentinel reported.
According to village documents, there are about 54 acres of wetlands that surrounds the Fox River at the golf course, the Journal Sentinel reported. The concept calls for 80.54 acres for recreation trails, open space and stormwater management. Therefore, 134.5 acres or 48 percent of the course will be preserved as open space
David Nankin, who represents the Illinois-based company Varin Silver Spring LLC that owns the course, did not return a call from the Journal Sentinel for comment.
In San Antonio, Texas, plans for the former Republic Golf Club, which closed in the spring, call for about 200 single-family homes, 300 multifamily units and 4 acres of commercial zoning, the San Antonio Express-News reported. About 56 acres are earmarked for park or open space.
Pending City Council approval of rezoning and plan amendment requests, construction would likely begin late this year or in the first quarter of 2021, spokespeople for Bitterblue Inc. and its law firm, Brown & Ortiz P.C. told the Express-News. Bitterblue is working with the current owner, The Republic Golf Club Ltd. Republic is registered to Daniel Pedrotti Jr., and deed records indicate the entity took out a loan to buy the property this spring.
Pedrotti, who is involved in another project to transform the nearby Pecan Valley Golf Club into a master-planned community for veterans, did not respond to Express-News voicemails left at his office or an e-mail.
The Republic property is attractive for residential development in part because it is “future trail and park adjacent” and it’s “beautiful land,” Bitterblue co-founder Laddie Denton said in an e-mail to the Express-News.
Asked whether Bitterblue has an ownership stake in the development, he said a structure would be put in place if the parties complete the property entitlements, the Express-News reported.
When the Republic Golf Club announced it was selling the more than 200-acre property and closing the course, it blamed “consistently declining revenue over the last several years,” the Express-News reported. Republic said it wasn’t able to withstand competition from other golf courses in San Antonio.
“This news follows national trends: approximately 100 to 200 golf courses closed across the U.S. annually since 2009,” club officials said in a statement on its website. “The project team will work closely with surrounding property owners, community members, and the City of San Antonio on development plans.”
The city’s zoning commission approved Bitterblue’s request in June to rezone about 119 acres of the property for a mixed-use district to allow for the housing and commercial uses, the Express-News reported. Some neighborhood residents said they were dismayed because they paid extra for houses with views of the golf course and are worried about their property values. Others said they were concerned about traffic, noise and harm to wildlife in the area.
“This green space should be left for outdoor uses,” Jennifer Barrera wrote to the zoning commission.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.