Speaking to town officials and a crowd of 100 people, the company confirmed that it plans to build an 18-hole golf course with a clubhouse, maintenance facility and golf cart barn on a 247-acre property along Lake Michigan in Sheboygan County, Wis. The company will now seek a conditional use permit to proceed, a process that will allow the company to respond to any concerns raised by the community.
Kohler Co. officials have confirmed plans for a fifth golf course in Sheboygan County, but otherwise remained tight-lipped on the details, the Sheboygan (Wis.) Press reported.
Speaking to town officials and a crowd of close to 100 people, company officials said they’re now hoping to build an 18-hole golf course on a 247-acre property that Kohler owns along Lake Michigan, just north of Kohler Andrae State Park. That’s the same site where Kohler had been looking to build a luxury wilderness retreat called the Tented Forest, which they recently scrapped, the Press reported.
Michael Belot, General Manager of the company’s hospitality division, spoke briefly to the board and said they’re now planning to build a golf course with a clubhouse, maintenance facility and golf cart barn. Belot declined to provide additional details following the meeting but said the company will provide more information once the proposal goes before the town’s Plan Commission, the Press reported.
The Town Board will now be asked to issue a conditional use permit for the project to proceed. That process will allow the company to respond to any concerns raised by the community. Town Attorney John St. Peter said a golf course already fits the existing zoning for the property and no other local approval will be needed, the Press reported.
If approved, the new course would join two existing ones at Blackwolf Run in Kohler and two at Whistling Straits in the Town of Mosel, just north of Sheboygan. Both have hosted major championships in recent years and have additional majors scheduled, the Press reported.
During the meeting, the Town Board unanimously approved a pre-development agreement that requires the company to reimburse the town for up to $20,000 for all legal, engineering and other professional fees incurred as the project is being considered. That agreement otherwise makes no guarantees that the project will be approved, the Press reported.
No public hearing was scheduled during the meeting, though several people spoke up about the project during the public comment period, the Press reported.
Brent Meyer, who’s head golf pro at nearby Riverdale Country Club, spoke in favor of the project, saying “we would love to have you in the neighborhood.”
Kathleen Rammer raised concerns about developing such a large swath of wilderness and asked that Kohler Co. Chairman and CEO Herbert V. Kohler answer residents’ questions directly. “We feel this is a question of why on earth would you want to destroy this beautiful pristine land?” Rammer said.
Town Board Chairman David Gartman addressed that issue later in the meeting, saying the town’s authority only goes so far and that people interested in preserving the land, which is private property, needed to contact state or federal officials, the Press reported.
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