Turmoil at Florida Golf Course Could Turn Into A Battle Over Development
William Rogers lives on Brown Crane Court in Pelican Bay, one of the area's oldest master-planned communities, featuring a country club with tennis courts and golf courses.
Rogers likes to play golf, but he doesn't belong to the country club. Neither do a lot of residents in the gated community along Beville Road.
Therein lies the problem for Pelican Bay Country Club, a Florida golf course as it struggles to maintain the amenities it owns. It also serves as a cautionary tale to developers of new master-planned communities.
Faced with a declining membership and higher maintenance costs, the club recently sold its tennis courts and several acres near the south golf course in Pelican Bay to the owner of a Port Orange pawnshop.
J.C.J. Investments, headed by area businesswoman Lynda Labosco, paid $310,000 for the tennis courts and $410,000 for land bordering the FRlorida golf course at the end of Mallard Lane, public records show.
Labosco said she bought the land for an investment and has no plans to do anything with it.
While many residents don't join the country club, they don't want development either. So they are skeptical of Labosco and point to a meeting in which a representative of hers indicated there is a plan to get the land rezoned for development.
So far, no one has approached the city seeking any change, city spokeswoman Susan Cerbone said.
Country club officials declined a request for an interview about the sale or reports they plan to use the money for improvements, including construction of tennis courts closer to the main clubhouse.
But the sale has some homeowners in the 920-acre development here on edge. The country club owns about 300 of those acres, including both the north and south florida golf courses. One is private and the other is semi-private.
Rumors began flying even before the sale closed in February that there was a plan to build new homes on the golf course land, which borders The Estates, Mallard Cove and Cypress Cove neighborhoods.
Opponents charged it would increase the density in the development, drive down property values and decrease the amount of green space.
"I believe a strong and successful (country club) is essential to maintaining Pelican Bay as a thriving community and to keeping our real estate values," Rogers said.
At the same time, he said it is obvious the club has some assets it can't afford to maintain with its current membership, estimated at around 250 families.
Rogers said he hoped the homeowners might buy the Florida golf course land from the club and hold it as open space.
"They are good people," he said, referring to the country club. Still, "I think it will be a big fight when they try to get it rezoned."
Robert Dubian, a resident and member of the country club, has been one of the most vocal opponents. Dubian even drafted and circulated a flyer under the heading "Save the Bay."
"Most of us bought in this community because of the open land designated golf, tennis, recreational. Most developers know that any community would value their open land and therefore not permit developers in. Guess what? All that is now changed. We have opened the hen house to the fox," he said in the flyer, a copy of which was obtained by The News-Journal.
Dubian did not return several telephone calls seeking comment.
Rogers likes to play golf, but he doesn't belong to the country club. Neither do a lot of residents in the gated community along Beville Road.
Therein lies the problem for Pelican Bay Country Club, a Florida golf course as it struggles to maintain the amenities it owns. It also serves as a cautionary tale to developers of new master-planned communities.
Faced with a declining membership and higher maintenance costs, the club recently sold its tennis courts and several acres near the south golf course in Pelican Bay to the owner of a Port Orange pawnshop.
J.C.J. Investments, headed by area businesswoman Lynda Labosco, paid $310,000 for the tennis courts and $410,000 for land bordering the FRlorida golf course at the end of Mallard Lane, public records show.
Labosco said she bought the land for an investment and has no plans to do anything with it.
While many residents don't join the country club, they don't want development either. So they are skeptical of Labosco and point to a meeting in which a representative of hers indicated there is a plan to get the land rezoned for development.
So far, no one has approached the city seeking any change, city spokeswoman Susan Cerbone said.
Country club officials declined a request for an interview about the sale or reports they plan to use the money for improvements, including construction of tennis courts closer to the main clubhouse.
But the sale has some homeowners in the 920-acre development here on edge. The country club owns about 300 of those acres, including both the north and south florida golf courses. One is private and the other is semi-private.
Rumors began flying even before the sale closed in February that there was a plan to build new homes on the golf course land, which borders The Estates, Mallard Cove and Cypress Cove neighborhoods.
Opponents charged it would increase the density in the development, drive down property values and decrease the amount of green space.
"I believe a strong and successful (country club) is essential to maintaining Pelican Bay as a thriving community and to keeping our real estate values," Rogers said.
At the same time, he said it is obvious the club has some assets it can't afford to maintain with its current membership, estimated at around 250 families.
Rogers said he hoped the homeowners might buy the Florida golf course land from the club and hold it as open space.
"They are good people," he said, referring to the country club. Still, "I think it will be a big fight when they try to get it rezoned."
Robert Dubian, a resident and member of the country club, has been one of the most vocal opponents. Dubian even drafted and circulated a flyer under the heading "Save the Bay."
"Most of us bought in this community because of the open land designated golf, tennis, recreational. Most developers know that any community would value their open land and therefore not permit developers in. Guess what? All that is now changed. We have opened the hen house to the fox," he said in the flyer, a copy of which was obtained by The News-Journal.
Dubian did not return several telephone calls seeking comment.
posted by John at
7:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home