It’s taken nearly a year, but the Walden Lake Community Association has taken its position regarding the potential redevelopment of the community’s country club and golf course.
The board approved unanimously April 24 a motion to object to and recommend denial of the rezoning application Visions Golf LLC filed in with the city. In that application, the owner of Walden Lake Golf and Country Club is asking to redevelop a portion of the property as residential, which would include single-family homes, town homes/villas and an assisted-living facility.
“We’re officially taking a stand,” said former WLCA President Jan Griffin. “We’ve wanted to for a long time.”
The board’s positioning comes just two weeks after Visions Golf Managing Partner Steve Mercer revealed his prospective buyers, Bridgepoint Capital, which includes Safety Harbor-based Coastal Companies President Curtis Crenshaw and retired PGA professional Jimmy Wright. In addition to the residential component, Crenshaw and Wright said the project also would include a new clubhouse, an 18-hole championship golf course, nine-hole executive-style course and a couple of holes reserved for a new golf academy.
The WLCA’s approved motion, written by Treasurer Bob Hunter, states that the WLCA board of directors objects to and recommends denial of the rezoning application of Visions Golf LLC to the Plant City Commission. However, the WLCA, in its objection/rejection of the current rezoning application, is willing to work with the owner/developer to develop a plan acceptable to the entire community and the WLCA.
“I didn’t want to tie them down yet,” Hunter said. “I want to say, ‘We object right now to what they’re showing us,’ and put a line in the sand. But, we’re willing to work with you.”
Hunter’s original motion (see sidebar) included more details regarding the board’s position and its reasoning, but ultimately, the board decided those specifics shouldn’t be included in the official motion.
It included suggested changes to the redevelopment proposal, including a more compact, concentrated residential development situated near the clubhouse, pool and driving range. He also proposed keeping the front nine of The Hills course as golf and redeveloping all currently closed fairways as redeveloped golf course, training course or open space.
“The front nine of The Hills — I abhor what they are proposing to do there, because of what that does to this community and the views of this community,” Hunter said.
“We want them to develop up by the clubhouse, as long as they can give us a good golf course and not affect the people’s houses that are on The Hills,” Director Rich Glorioso said. “If there are areas they can develop and make this work — and still have a good golf course not affecting people’s views — isn’t that what we’re trying to do? … You have to be willing to talk about compromise.”
Most importantly, Hunter believes the WLCA should seek “written legal instruments that ensure and guarantee that the owner/developer/various builders will proceed according to ‘agreed to,’ signed documents and plans — reflecting details, footprints, timing, amenities, etc., with the lack of performance providing transferable equity of property (and perhaps performance bonding) to the WLCA and/or city or other mutually agreed upon joint entity.”
Hunter said Visions’ rezoning application is only for the residential component of the project and that there are no guarantees that any of the promises of a renovated golf course amenity would be fulfilled.
“They’re going to develop the residential first, then they will take the capital and invest it in the golf course,” he said. “They can walk away after they develop the residential.
“I would hope that people would hear us that we are against the rezoning. They’re going to have someone proceed with drawings … and they’re going to show it to us and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’” Hunter said. “I want to get in before they start doing that.”
Glorioso said this motion is a strong statement of the WLCA’s position.
“I went back and talked to them (Crenshaw and Wright), and I (asked), ‘What would prevent you from building out the homes and abandoning the golf course?’” Glorioso said. “(The) answer was, ‘Trust.’ Well, that’s not a good answer. The answer has to be a hell of a lot more than trust. It has to be written down in a guarantee.
“We (WLCA board members) all agree that none of us agree with what Visions Golf has put on the table at this time,” Glorioso said. “We all agree that we disagree. … It’s not compatible with our lifestyle.”
Contact Michael Eng at meng@plantcityobserver.com.
MOTION TO RECOMMEND DENIAL OF THE GOLF
COURSE REZONING APPLICATION BY VISIONS GOLF LLC
We have heard over the last several years that Visions Golf was going to develop the golf course.
Last year, Visions Golf closed their 18-hole Hills golf course and allowed it to become overgrown and damage adjacent property values.
In February 2014, Visions Golf filed for with the city of Plant City, a rezoning of 4 large parcels in the middle of Walden Lake for:
1. Unit 60 – Maximum of 120 units for Assisted Care Facility, multi story
2. Unit 61 – Maximum of 210 units for multi-family, up to 3 stories high
3. Unit 62 – Maximum of 110 units for multi-family, up to 3 stories high
4. Unit 63 – Maximum of 187 units of single family, up to 2 stories high
TOTAL: 627 HOUSING UNITS, mostly multi-family
At the annual meeting of the WLCA Board of Directors and residents of April 10, and at our invitation to present their rezoning application, Visions Golf told us that they had sold the property; the two 18-hole golf courses — The Hills (closed) and The Lakes (currently open) — clubhouse, pool, driving range and adjacent properties, to a “developer” group that wants to build a single private 18-hole “five-star” golf course, training short course, executive golf course, clubhouse, etc., and 627 housing units on the four rezoned parcels for a variety of housing, mostly multi-family units.
Board: If the current rezoning request/application is approved by the Plant City Commission, we and the residents (and the city) have absolutely no guarantees that anything will happen, except that up to 627 housing units, mostly multi-family units will get built on the four large parcels. All we have from the developer are words, pictures and verbal promises — nothing else. They could even close the currently open 18-hole Lakes golf course at any time.
Therefore, I make the following motion:
For the WLCA Board of Directors to object to and recommend denial of the rezoning application of Visions Golf, LLC to the Plant City Commission.
We make this recommendation because the rezoning:
1. Is not compatible with our community of mostly owner-occupied, single family residential;
2. Deteriorates our quality of life within Walden Lake of open space, lakes, scenic views and vistas;
3. Destroys the property values, current scenic views of 168 single family residential homes;
4. Increases significantly, traffic and congestion onto Timberlane Drive, Griffin Boulevard and Clubhouse Drive;
5. Destroys the quality of life, scenic views, vistas and property values of more than 200 homes on the back nine of the currently abandoned, overgrown and unkept Hills golf course;
6. Substantially reduces the pervious, open space surfaces to developed impervious surfaces, increasing storm water runoff and drainage; and
7. Utilizes our green, pristine, premier community and rights-of-way that we have funded and maintained for more than 30 years for their development efforts — with no guaranteed return on our investments.
However, the WLCA Board of Directors, in its objection/rejection of the current rezoning application, is willing to work with the owner/developer to develop a plan acceptable to the entire community and WLCA.
Our interest is:
1. A continued current lifestyle and quality of life of a homogeneous community with livable neighborhoods, open space, lakes, scenic views and vistas;
2. A premier, destination golf course available to residents;
3. The front nine of the currently closed Hills golf course not be developed for residential and redeveloped as the golf course or executive course or training course and maintained with golf cart paths and pedestrian access to the clubhouse;
4. Any fairways that are currently closed be utilized for the redeveloped golf course and/or training course and/or maintained open space with golf cart and pedestrian pathways to the clubhouse;
5. The rezoning application be revised reflecting more specific, compact and concentrated development around the clubhouse, pool, driving range, maintenance area, etc. — perhaps with the clubhouse rebuilt integrated with higher density multi-family housing; and
6. Written legal instruments that ensure and guarantee that the owner/developer/various builders will proceed according to “agreed to,” signed documents and plans-reflecting details, footprints, timing, amenities, etc. with the lack of performance providing transferable equity of property (and perhaps performance bonding) to WLCA and/or city or other mutually agreed upon joint entity.
This motion is made in good faith to reflect the concern of the WLCA Board of Directors about the rezoning of four large pristine parcels for more housing (mostly multi-family) inserted into our community; however, reflecting an awareness and willingness of the WLCA Board of Directors to work with the owner/developer/builders and the entire community of Walden Lake to result in a mutually beneficial premier golf course development which enhances all 2,241 homes in Walden Lake, positively impacting our property values, views, open space, vistas, pedestrian/cart paths, revenues to the city and adding to the lifestyle choices.
— WLCA Treasurer Bob Hunter
IN OTHER NEWS
• Following the elections of directors Sharon Philbin and Terry Murphy to the WLCA board and the reelection of Heather Updike, the board also has appointed new officers. Jim Chancey will serve as president, Bob Hunter as treasurer, and Updike as secretary. Because of Director Ray Page’s absence, the WLCA was split on its new vice president. Both Director Rich Glorioso and Philbin were nominated for the position.
• The WLCA approved spending $2,485.50 to repair the community entrance sign at Trapnell Road. It also will spend $1,586.82 to repair all four signs in Walden Place.
• The board approved a contract with Sarasota-based Hoover Pressure Cleaning to maintain the signs at the community four main entrances. The service will cost $500 for the initial cleaning, followed by a quarterly $300 charge.
• Installation for information signs at the Mud Lake and Turkey Creek entrances should be completed this week. The cost for the signs is $4,232.92.
• On-site Manager Lee Weiss and his crew completed maintenance on the community’s gate arms, which had been malfunctioning.
• Visions Golf LLC Managing Partner Steve Mercer signed a hold harmless agreement that will allow the WLCA to perform maintenance on the two bridges it co-owns with Visions.
• The next WLCA meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, May 12, at the Community Building, 3035 Griffin Blvd., Plant City.