The 123-year-old club in Hartsdale, N.Y. has gone before a local town board to start the process for gaining approval to build a dome-like structure that would cover two outdoor tennis courts. “A tennis bubble is an essential component to retaining and recruiting new members,” said General Manager/COO Bill Minard. “It’s our goal to provide a year-round tennis program to clearly add value to the membership experience.”
Scarsdale Golf Club in Hartsdale, N.Y. is looking to boost membership by erecting a seasonal structure that would provide coverage to two outdoor tennis courts on the grounds of the 123-year-old club, The Examiner News.com of Westchester County, N.Y. reported.
While a formal application hasn’t yet been submitted to the Town of Greenburgh, N.Y., individuals representing the club went before the Town Board during the first week of April to initiate discussion about the enclosure, The Examiner News.com reported.
Bill Minard, Scarsdale GC’s General Manager/COO, said the dome-like structure would be essential to remaining relevant in a competitive market, The Examiner News.com reported.
“Clubs must provide first-class amenities to keep their competitive edge and we believe a tennis bubble is an essential component to retaining and recruiting new members,” Minard said during a work session on March 30th. “It’s our goal to provide a year-round tennis program to clearly add value to the membership experience and further position Scarsdale Golf Club as the premiere club in the [New York] metro area.”
Scarsdale CG currently offers a “very robust” racquet club, Minard added, that includes both tennis and paddle tennis for members of all ages, The Examiner News.com reported.
The conceptual plan at Scarsdale GC includes placing the enclosure on the lower end of three tennis courts on the club’s property, project engineer Zac Pearson, of Insite Engineering, Surveying, & Landscape Architecture, said at the Town Board session, The Examiner News.com reported.
With another set of courts south of where the bubble is being proposed sitting at a lower elevation, Pearson added, the proposal would include raising those tennis courts nearly three feet, to keep the new structure level with the other courts.
This would also ensure that the fire department could travel on Club Way, which leads to the club, and access the enclosed structure in an emergency, Pearson added.
Representatives of the club said the enclosure would likely be most visible to a commercial area near the club and would have no influence on the golf range at the club’s facility, The Examiner News.com reported. Town officials recommended, however, that the applicant begin discussions with nearby neighborhoods, associations, parking districts and merchants regarding visibility.
Those involved with the project said they wanted to first review the plans with the town before speaking with the public, The Examiner News.com reported.
A seasonal tennis bubble wouldn’t be an unusual request to the town, with one currently installed at its East Rumbrook Park, The Examiner News.com reported.
With Councilman Ken Jones questioning the potential risk the bubble would pose to an area where flooding and debris are already issues, club representatives said a stormwater design would be associated with the project, to mitigate runoff, The Examiner News.com reported.
Town officials said the review process for the enclosure could last up to six months, The Examiner News.com reported, with the proposal requiring approvals from the Planning Board and certain variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The proposal could also require a wetland permit and environmental review under the state Environmental Quality Review Act.
Town officials said they would work with the club to coordinate with the necessary boards and community members to move the project forward, The Examiner News.com reported.
“I think the most important thing is really to reach out to the civic associations first to meet with them,” Supervisor Paul Feiner said. “Some people may have some questions from the immediate neighborhoods.”
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