Throughout his 30-year service in the U.S. Army, Col. Dan Orrico’s career has taken him and his family all around the world. Each of his and his wife, Shelly’s, five children were born in different cities, and each home was considered temporary.
Until they discovered Walden Lake Golf & Country Club nine years ago.
The Orricos fell in love with the upscale golfing community nestled in quiet Plant City. A family full of golfers, the Orricos paid a $20,000 premium for a lot that backs the No. 4 hole of the Hills course, one of the community’s two 18-hole courses.
That first year, the family enjoyed regular outings on the fairways. Dan Orrico often played all 36 holes, and the family spent Sundays cheering on the Green Bay Packers at the country club. Their home on Pine Tree Drive already is outfitted for wheelchair access. It’s where they had planned to spend the rest of their lives, once Dan Orrico retires this year.
“The golf course wasn’t just a big reason we chose Walden Lake,” Shelly said. “It’s the only reason.”
But now, that No. 4 hole — and all of Walden Lake’s Hills course, for that matter — have turned the Orricos’ dream retirement into a nightmare. Closed May 15, the Hills is hardly recognizable as a golf course. Weeds have invaded the putting greens, and the once-pristine fairways now are indistinguishable from homeowners’ yards.
Since the Orricos purchased their home, dwindling membership numbers and a struggling economy have put financial strain on Visions Golf LLC, the entity that owns and operates Walden Lake Golf & Country Club. In 2011, Visions Golf LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and emerged in February 2012.
After General Manager Steve Mercer closed the Hills course, residents became alarmed when they noticed Visions Golf stopped mowing and maintaining the course.
Shelly Orrico filed code-enforcement complaints with Plant City, and ultimately, Mercer had the course mowed. But, the Hills course still is far from playable, and after learning of Mercer’s plans to potentially remove parts of both golf courses in favor of townhomes and retail space, Shelly Orrico called for a town meeting.
More than 200 Walden Lake residents attended the July 8 meeting, held outside the Walden Lake Community Association’s building. There, Shelly Orrico and her supporters gathered signatures on a petition, which they plan to submit to Plant City commissioners at their regular meeting July 22.
“We, as a community, have to band together to slow down or possibly stop this process,” Shelly Orrico told the residents. “Right now, I’m a one-man band. But, all of us can be an orchestra.”
Many residents in attendance spoke of declining property values. The Orricos’ home recently was appraised for $30,000 less — largely because of the condition of the golf course, she said.
Resident Joe Shillady said he received similar news about his home.
“The condition is decreasing our home values rapidly,” he said via email. “I have proof … an appraisal last month of my property was $30,000 less than one two years ago, when the course was playable. The appraisal included a picture of the unsightly golf course.”
Officers from the Walden Lake Community Association were not present at the meeting.
“The Walden Lake directors, at the advice of counsel, didn’t attend the resident meeting, (because) it was really their meeting — not the board of directors,” President Jan Griffin said. “We need to gather all the facts relating to the land before we can properly and legally assist the residents.”
However, Griffin said, the WLCA’s official stance is one of support for its residents.
“Walden Lake and its board of directors opposes the development of the Walden Lake golf courses,” she said. “We wish to preserve the current Walden Lake golf courses and related amenities.”
HISTORY
Walden Lake’s two golf courses date back to the 1970s, when the original developer Walden Lake Inc. constructed the first 18 holes. The first nine holes of the second course were built in the 1980s, followed by the final nine holes in the 1990s.
The property has had many owners since its inception. Fairways Group purchased it from Walden Lake Inc. and Sun City Center Corp. Under the Restrictions and Easement Agreement among Walden Lake Inc., Sun City Center Corp. and Fairways Group, the developer included language dictating operations protocols for the golf course.
“All portions of the golf and country club shall continue to be operated and open for use by members during the term of the restriction set forth in this subparagraph (b), subject to temporary closure for not more than five days for maintenance and repair and for installation of new improvements on or to the golf and country club,” the agreement reads.
Furthermore, the document provides standards for maintenance.
“It is understood and recognized by Fairways that the continued maintenance and operation of the golf and country club has a material impact on the future development of Walden Lake by Sun City and (Walden Lake Inc.) and that this restriction is an integral part of the consideration for the conveyance of the property,” it states.
Visions Golf LLC purchased the course from Fairways Group in 2006. Before taking over Walden Lake, Mercer had served as manager for the now defunct Plant City Golf Course.
Orrico and her supporters argue that Mercer’s recent actions — the current closing the Hills course and the conditions of the course itself — violate the original developer’s intentions for the property. Furthermore, the Hills course contains several city code violations, they say.
Mercer said he plans to keep the course mowed to satisfy city code.
“A couple of weeks ago, circumstances — additional rain and repair issues with our large mower — caused us to fall behind on our scheduled mowing,” he said. “We expect to keep the course mowed to the required standards for as long as it is necessary.”
FINANCIAL STRUGGLE
In every year since Visions Golf has operated Walden Lake Golf & Country Club, it has lost money. Mercer attributes the struggle to a sluggish economy, fewer members and a golf and country club operation that may be too large for the community it serves.
“When we bought Walden Lake Golf & Country Club in 2006, our intentions were to operate a 36-hole golf operation, tennis, pool and fitness facilities, along with banquet and restaurant operations,” Mercer said. “Even with the recession beginning in 2008, we invested over a million dollars into the facilities, in hopes it would help us maintain and improve our memberships and general sales.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Memberships continued to decline and now are down to about 100 golf memberships. By comparison, Mercer said he would need about 400 golf memberships to run a profitable 18-hole operation, or 700 to operate all 36 holes.
“These numbers only include the maintenance of a course in good condition,” he said. “The costs of renovation of just 18 holes will run into seven figures, and 36 holes of renovation is not feasible.”
Furthermore, he noted, of the 100 residents who have property bordering the front nine of the Hills course, only one is an active member.
Resident Howard Rawlings, who had been a member of the country club since 1994, attended the town hall meeting and reiterated that residents’ support was crucial to the success of the golf and country club.
“It takes money to run a golf course,” he said. “A lot of us here haven’t been supporting the club, so if you want a golf course, step up and join.”
In August 2012, Mercer and former general manager John Keaton asked for residents’ support. They approached the Walden Lake Community Association about adding a $200 fee to homeowners’ dues, which would give them full access to the club.
The WLCA denied the request.
“As to Visions Golf and Steve Mercer’s request for $200 per household assessed by the WCLA, our stance is legal,” Griffin said. “We cannot give a private company money from our homeowners to keep his business open without permission from every homeowner. “
MERCER’S PLAN
As a business owner, Mercer has been searching for a way to stop the hemorrhaging of money. Understanding his customer base is primarily the Walden Lake community, he said he is prepared to share all of his plans for redevelopment and hopes to have the community help shape those plans.
“As of right now, our plans are not definitive, but the Hills front nine course is part of the area we are looking at for possible development,” Mercer said. “The back nine of the Hills is closed but is being considered for renovation and to remain part of the golf course. … We have not come to a definite decision to leave it closed as of today.
“Our intentions all along have included meeting with the residents and HOAs — when we a have a complete plan to present and discuss,” he said. “But at this time, we have not completed the process, and it would not be beneficial to anyone to try to present an incomplete proposal.”
In January, Mercer told the Plant City Observer he and his partners were considering a town-center-type concept. That could include commercial space for shops and restaurants, and adding more residential units to the community — a possibility that has angered Shelly Orrico and others. They say they are losing the amenity that attracted them to Walden Lake in the first place.
“We want to see (the golf course) brought back to life,” Shelly Orrico said. “We want someone else to jump in and give it a shot.”
Resident Terry Murphy, a Walden Lake resident since 1996, agreed.
“We’re not going to let this happen,” she said. “If I have to lie down on the golf course, this isn’t going to happen.”
So far, no proposal has been submitted for city review. According to conveyance documents issued in 1990 and 1993, no redevelopment can take place until 25 years after the documents were signed. That means the earliest development could begin would be 2015, said resident Scott Collins, a developer for Vantage Properties.
If and when that time comes, Mercer said his goal is to build something that will make Walden Lake a stronger community.
“We hope that when everything is presented, the community will see the benefits of the whole project and will help us transform Walden Lake Golf & Country Club into a premier golfing facility and, thus, the community into a premier golfing community,” he said.
Contact Michael Eng at meng@plantcityobserver.com.
THE PETITION
Walden Lake residents ask the City of Plant City and Hillsborough County to evaluate the Walden Lake Golf & Country Club’s request for the rezoning and building of homes by Walden Lake Golf & Country Club on golf course property.
Walden Lake residents purchased homes at a premium, with the intent of living on a golf course or in a golf course community. The additional building of homes and closing one or both courses would seriously impact the current values of all Walden Lake residents.