The La Verne, Calif. property is back on the market for the third time in four years. Concerns among residents that it would be developed for housing may be unfounded, because that would require a lengthy process to change current zoning, and also a need to address “significant environmental issues.” The brokerage handling the listing says the site is being pitched to “multiple types of buyers,” including those interested in retaining the club operation.
For the third time in four years, the Sierra La Verne Country Club in La Verne, Calif. is for sale, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported.
The listing, which is being handled by Irvine, Calif.-based Hoffman Co., initially drew criticism from residents, because of fear that it would become a potential housing development, the Daily Bulletin reported.
But Norm Scheel, President and co-owner of the Hoffman Co., said the site is being pitched to multiple types of buyers, including those interested in retaining the club operation, the Daily Bulletin reported.
“We’ve reached out to golf course operators and groups that can save it for open-space habitat,” Scheel said, adding that the firm even contacted the city of La Verne about buying it for potential parks space.
While a price for the club is not listed, Scheel said, he and the current club owner are entertaining offers and proposals. The ownership of the club was not identified in the Daily Bulletin report; the Hoffman Co. listing shows Bellows Golf Management as the golf course operator and Z Golf/Wedgewood as the food-and-beverage operator.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest but no meaningful proposals at this time,” Scheel told the Daily Bulletin. “There’s no need to sell in a short term. [The owner] is willing to wait for the right opportunity to present itself.”
The 111-acre privately-owned property opened in 1978 as a public nine-hole course, the Daily Bulletin reported. It was converted into a private country club after it expanded to 18 holes, and now operates as a semi-private, non-equity club, with a golf course designed by Dan Murray and a 30,000-sq. ft. clubhouse.
“This is an extremely rare infill development opportunity, and given the size, the property represents the potential for a substantial project of scale to be built in the much desired city of La Verne,” according to the Hoffman Co. listing on the site.
Eric Scherer, the city of La Verne’s Community Development Director, told the Daily Bulletin that he has fielded several calls from potential buyers with questions about the site. The initial listing in mid-August caused concerns from local residents on social media, with some speculating that 110 units—and as many as 220 units with accessory dwelling units—would be allowed on the property, Scherer noted.
That buzz prompted the city to create a link on its own website under the “Know the Facts” page (http://www.ci.la-verne.ca.us/index.php/about-la-verne/9-about-la-verne/321-sierra-la-verne-country-club-pending-sale-2018) under the headline, Sierra La Verne Country Club Pending Sale 2018, to try to clarify any misconceptions, Scherer added.
The site cannot be sold for residential development because it is currently designated as “open space” under the city’s general plan, and that designation prohibits any development on the property, Scherer told the Daily Bulletin.
In a letter sent to the Hoffman Company on August 14th, the Daily Bulletin reported, Scherer also noted: “Our department has indicated to any developers that have inquired about the site of these [zoning] constraints, and [also] that there are significant environmental issues that also would make any redevelopment of the golf course difficult if not impossible.”
The future owner, however, could appeal to the city to have the zoning changed from agriculture to residential, but that would require a lengthy public review process, the Daily Bulletin reported, during which residents would have the opportunity to comment during that process, Scherer noted.
If the property is sold, the conditional permit allows the owner to automatically transfer the use of the golf course, Scherer added.
This is not the first time the club has been part of discussions for a housing development, the Daily Bulletin reported. Two years ago, the Upland, Calif.-based Lewis Group of Companies entered into an exclusive period of negotiation that could have resulted in handing Sierra La Verne Country Club, with a property that is comparable in size to Los Angeles County’s Marshall Canyon Golf Course, only 1 1/2 miles away, to the county, while the Lewis Group developed homes on Marshall Canyon.
Those plans were ultimately abandoned after residents raised concerns and the City Council sent a letter to Los Angeles County opposing it, the Daily Bulletin reported.
The Hoffman Co., Scheel told the Daily Bulletin, hasn’t changed its marketing for the Sierra site. Its website bills it as a residential entitlement opportunity.
“The biggest issue is there are lot of golf courses on the market today, [creating] a competitive environment of sellers,” he said.
While the listing for Sierra La Verne CC is currently Hoffman’s only club in Southern California, Scheel added, the firm is selling a golf property in Northern California, and Cushman and Wakefield is handling numerous golf course listings throughout the United States.
When the thin profit margins for clubs and golf courses are coupled with the rising costs of water in California, Scheel told the Daily Bulletin, many club operations just can’t prove to be viable. “We’ve seen many fall into disrepair because of that,” he said.
In its marketing material for the Sierra La Verne property (http://www.hoffmanland.com/wp-content/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Sierra-La-Verne-Golf-Course-EOM-07-23-18-LQ.pdf), the Hoffman Co. notes La Verne’s proximity to Pasadena, Glendale and downtown Los Angeles as a selling point, the Daily Bulletin reported, and describes La Verne as a high-end housing market, with two new housing projects “currently selling at average prices over $1,000,000.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.