Monday, April 30, 2007

Future of The Golf Club still up in the air.. Owners exploring options; residents want something golf course-related

by DMITRY RASHNITSOV
drashnitsov@breezenewspapers.com

Most of Cape Coral's original residents teed off there, and now the are teed off about what's going to happen to the land where The Golf Club formally sat.

In a letter to residents around the Palm Tree Boulevard area on this week,
Carlson said the group is continuing to explore the most beneficial use for
the property. We are working with experts to assess what uses would be supported by the
local market, Carlson wrote. The project will include significant public
park(sic) and lake components. Some possible business ventures might include retail shops, offices and multi-family residential. Carlson also states that an application to request a future land use amendment to zone the property as a mixed-use development was submitted this
week to the City of Cape Coral.
Again, let me emphasize that we have not developed any plans for this site and will not do so without first seeking the input from neighbors like you, Carlson wrote. Soon, you will be invited to a community meeting with other residents and business leaders to discuss the type of businesses that might be appropriate and beneficial for the project.

Mary Neilson, spokesman for Save the Golf Course, said either a golf course
with a resort or a passive park are the only things she and most residents
would be happy with.
What we're looking for and what we will be happy with is to preserve the land, Neilson said. We are going to work to do it and continue to do it. Neilson said that mixed use developments belong in the downtown area.

Separate from the possible development in the area, open spaces donated to
the city are a strong possibility. Residents in that area will always be comfortable in knowing that there will always be a park to separate the area, said District 4 Councilmember
Dolores Bertolini, who spoke with owners of the land this past week about a
perimeter park buffer between the current houses and anything else built on
the property. The councilmember said she is confident that the other councilmembers would
be willing to accept the perimeter park land as a donation, and the city
would have to pay to landscape and maintain it. During her meeting with The Golf Club Owners this week, the councilmember asked Florida Gulf Ventures Managing Partner Kent Carlson to keep residents informed of the ongoing situation and to hold a future town hall meeting to
discuss any possible development.

According to City of Cape Coral Economic Director Mike Jackson, at least
four parties interested in possibly developing the land into a hotel/resort
and golf course had contacted him and been directed to speak to The Golf
Club land owners.

District 1 Councilmember Tom Hair, who proposed a similar idea to the
exterior park and subsequently had residents reject his idea said many
residents around the area will probably not be in support of anything that
does not involve a golf course. I'm willing to listen, Hair said. I have a feeling a lot of people around there won't like it. If they want to let it sit the way it is and hope things change, that's their prerogative.

Mayor Eric Feichthaler said the owners have an uphill battle to convince
residents that development is a good idea. I believe it should be open space, Feichthaler said. Residents will have a major role in deciding the fate of the land.

Currently, one project in the area that is scheduled to proceed shortly is
the demolition of the club house after a final asbestos study is complete.

Bertolini said the current asking price for the area is $28 million, and the
owners told her they would be willing to sell it for that amount if a bidder
came around.

The Golf Club opened on New Year's 1967. The property sits on Country Club
Road between Palm Tree Blvd and Wildwood Pkwy where many homes and
condominiums overlook the once lush greens. Current owners closed the
facility down in December of 2006 after reporting nearly $4 million in
losses during their five year ownership.

In 1972, the National Collegiate Athletics Association held its championship
tournament at the club. It had been the first time they played it in
Florida, and future golf legends Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw teed off as part
of the field. Over the years, many junior golf tournaments graced the
greens and Ladies Professional Golf Association founder Patty Berg used to
play rounds under the sun.

A possibility of the city purchasing the land went to the wayside after two
appraisals done on the land produced amounts the city was unwilling to pay.
The first appraisal, completed at the end of December 2006, calls for the
city to pay $28 million to the current owners of the property and use the
land for, the highest and best use of the site.

The second appraisal came in February and estimated the value of the land at
$13.8 million if a golf course reopened on the property. This estimate also
includes the potential to develop a resort hotel.

A feasibility study conducted by the city in mid-December recommended:
*The city purchasing the entire property and operating it as a park or golf
course.
*The city purchasing the property by selling surplus lands in other areas
to help finance the sale.
*The city owning and operating a golf course on the land, with the private
sector developing a resort hotel.
*A private entity purchasing the land and developing a resort hotel and
golf course with city incentives.

During a town hall meeting held in March, citizens overwhelmingly asked
Bertolini to attempt to keep the property as a golf course and possibly
adding a hotel to the mix. Most residents argue that their is no reason for residential development because of the large overstock of homes on the real estate market in Cape
Coral, and commercial development would lessen the value of homes that were
purchased to overlook this place of putting paradise.

The book The Other Side of the River by Betsy Zeiss sums up the feelings of
the time towards the opening of the recreational marvel.

Membership in the attractive Cape Coral Country Club had an unbelievably
modest price tag, and saunas numbered among the features in a spread that
offered the usual amenities of golf, tennis, swimming, a restaurant and a
bar. The Landscaping, to top it all off, was magnificent

Letter from Florida Gulf Ventures LLC

FLORIDA GULF
VENTURES,
April 23, 2007

Dear Neighbor:

As you will recall, when we announced the closing of the Golf Club nearly one year ago, we
promised to keep you, as a nearby neighbor, informed and involved in the plans for development
of this important property. In keeping with our promise, I would like to update you on our
progress.

Since the Golf Club closed, we have had discussions with a number of parties, including the City
of Cape Coral, who expressed a potential interest in retaining all or part of the golf course. None
of these discussions led to an offer to purchase the property. Sadly, as shown by the number of
additional golf course closings in our area, golf is a business in decline. The current economic
conditions cannot support a golf course operation. Absent this ability, our partners are deeply
committed to finding a solution that is advantageous to the entire community, accentuates our
beautiful Florida environment and meets the needs of the local market.

It is still very early in the planning process, and we are continuing to explore the most beneficial
use for the property. We are working with experts to assess what uses would be supported by the
local market. The project will include significant public park and lake components. Some
possible business ventures might include retail shops, offices and multi-family residential.

Today we submitted an application with the City of Cape Coral to request a future land use
amendment to zone the property for mixed use development. This application will be reviewed
both by the City of Cape Coral and the State of Florida in a lengthy process of approval.

Again, let me emphasize that we have not developed any plans for this site and will not do so
without first seeking the input from neighbors like you. Soon, you will be invited to a community
meeting with other residents and business leaders to discuss the type of businesses that might be appropriate and beneficial for the project. Your opinions are very important to us.

We reiterate our promise to keep you informed about the progress of this development and look
forward to meeting you soon at the community meeting.

Sincerely,


Kent Carlson


Florida Gulf Ventures, LLC P0. Box 07457 Fort Myers, Florida 33919

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Message from Councilman Berardi

Mary,

I did see this letter and did meet with this group on Monday afternoon.
I will not support the zoning change.

This property is perfectly viable as a golf course. The owners of The
Golf Club simply are not marketing the property at a number that the
private sector is willing to pay.

An analogy for this land change would be that if I over-priced my home
and could find no buyer willing to pay my price then I should be able to
have it rezoned to commercial so that the market would meet my price.
That scenario is as illogical as the attempted rezoning of The Golf
Club.

Thanks,

Chris Berardi
Cape Coral City Council

Message from Mayor Feichthaler

Subject; Zoning Change

Mary,

Thank you. Unless you and the residents support this change, I will not
give my support to this plan. They have indicated they plan to meet
with the neighborhood within 30 days, I will be there if that happens.

Eric P. Feichthaler
Mayor
City of Cape Coral

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Bertolini asks for perimeter park near The Golf Club; Idea is to separate residences adjacent to property from possible future development

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV CAPE CORAL BREEZE


Dreams of resurrecting a golf course on The Golf Club land are near extinct, but a perimeter park to separate current houses from whatever develops is a strong possibility, according to District 4 Councilmember Dolores Bertolini.

“Residents in that area will always be comfortable in knowing that there will always be a park to separate the area,” Bertolini said.

The council member said she is confident the other council members would be willing to accept the perimeter park land as a donation, and the city would have to pay to landscape and maintain it.

“I asked for it and it’s looking pretty positive,” Bertolini said.

During her meeting with The Golf Club owners Monday afternoon, the council member asked Florida Gulf Ventures managing partner Kent Carlson to keep residents informed of the ongoing situation and to hold a future town hall meeting to discuss any possible development.

In a recent letter to residents around the Palm Tree Boulevard area, Carlson said the group is continuing to “explore the most beneficial use for the property.”

“We are working with experts to assess what uses would be supported by the local market,” Carlson wrote. “The project will include significant public park(sic) and lake components. Some possible business ventures might include retail shops, offices and multi-family residential.”

Carlson also states an application to request a future land use amendment to zone the property as a mixed-use development was submitted Tuesday morning to the city of Cape Coral.

“Again, let me emphasize that we have not developed any plans for this site and will not do so without first seeking the input from neighbors like you,” Carlson wrote. “Soon, you will be invited to a community meeting with other residents and business leaders to discuss the type of businesses that might be appropriate and beneficial for the project.”

According to city of Cape Coral Economic Director Mike Jackson, at least four parties interested in possibly developing the land into a hotel/resort and golf course had contacted him and been directed to speak to The Golf Club land owners.

District 1 Councilmember Tom Hair, who proposed a similar idea to the exterior park and subsequently had residents reject his idea, said many residents around the area will probably not be in support of anything that does not involve a golf course.

“I’m willing to listen,” Hair said. “I have a feeling a lot of people around there won’t like it. If they want to let it sit the way it is and hope things change, that’s their prerogative.”

Mayor Eric Feichthaler said the owners have an uphill battle to convince residents that development is a good idea.

“I believe it should be open space,” Feichthaler said. “Residents will have a major role in deciding the fate of the land.”

The Golf Club opened on New Year’s 1967. The property sits on Country Club Road between Palm Tree Blvd and Wildwood Parkway where many homes and condominiums overlook the once lush greens. Current owners closed the facility in December 2006 after reporting nearly $4 million in losses during their five-year ownership.

A possibility of the city purchasing the land went to the wayside after two appraisals done on the land produced amounts the city was unwilling to pay.

The first appraisal, completed at the end of December 2006, called for the city to pay $28 million to the current owners of the property and use the land for “the highest and best use of the site.” This option recommended the property for vacant residential development “due to the high demand for land in the Cape Coral and Southwest Florida Market.”

The second appraisal came in February and estimated the value of the land at $13.8 million if a golf course reopened on the property. This estimate also included the potential to develop a resort hotel.

A feasibility study conducted by the city in mid-December 2006 recommended:

— The city purchase the entire property and operate it as a park or golf course.

— The city purchase the property by selling surplus lands in other areas to help finance the sale.

— The city own and operate a golf course on the land, with the private sector developing a resort hotel.

— A private entity purchase the land and develop a resort hotel and golf course with city incentives.

Bertolini and Feichthaler said they are both looking forward to a town hall meeting with the public to hear their thoughts and feelings on the future of The Golf Club land.

Plans to develop Golf Club filed

Cape officials want input on mix of office-retail, residential

By Don Ruane
druane@news-press.com

Originally posted on April 25, 2007

Owners of what was Cape Coral's oldest golf course before it closed last year want approval to use their property for retail shops, offices and multifamily housing.

Kent Carlson, of Florida Gulf Ventures LLC, informed nearby residents by letter that an application has been filed to rezone The Golf Club property to allow a mixture of uses.

The land is approved for residential use now although it's designated in city plans for parks and recreation.

Course owners and representatives said Tuesday the application is an early step toward finding an acceptable use for the land and they have no specific plans for the site.

"We've got to start somewhere," said consultant William Nolan, who filed the application on behalf of the owners.

Carlson said reviving the golf course, which closed at the end of July, is out of the question for the owners. The course was in debt when it closed.

"The current economic conditions can not support a golf course operation," Carlson wrote.

Changing the approved use of the land is a long process that will require state and city council approvals. Major land use changes can be requested twice a year from the state's Department of Community Affairs. The next request isn't expected until about December."It could be 2008 before the council gets to vote on this," Mayor Eric Feichthaler said.

Before then, golf-course neighbors who want to keep the 171-acre site as a golf course or park will make an election issue of it, said Mary Neilson, a resident who has organized opponents to development.

Neighbors want a park or a golf course, she said.

"There are going be a lot of issues that are going to be big, and this is one of them," Neilson said.

Voters will pick five city council members in November for the eight-member council.

Mixed-use zoning will allow for residential, office, retail and park uses, Nolan said.

A preliminary traffic study with the application was based on the assumptions of using the land for 600 single-family homes, 400 condos or townhouses, 100,000 square feet of office space and 300,000 square feet of retail space.

Parks with lakes and hiking trails accessible by the public are being considered, Nolan said.

A meeting for the public to talk about their ideas probably will be held within a month, he said. It's part of the company's efforts to determine what's acceptable in this area.

"I told them don't try to do this without meeting with the neighbors to get their view. They're testing the waters," Councilwoman Dolores Bertolini said.

She held a townhall meeting on the course's future in February that drew more than 200 people. Some residents said they wanted a combination of city and private-sector financing to develop a hotel, convention center and golf course.

Many residents also said they hoped the city would buy the course and keep it for golf or a city park.

"I'd really like to meet with residents and go over it again," Bertolini said.

The company's request might have a better chance if the company donates land to the city to provide a buffer for neighbors of the course, she said.

The company needs public support to get the council's approval, Feichthaler said.

"The public and neighbors around the golf course are very clear about what they would like see, and it is not substantial development," Feichthaler said.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The Golf Club may become shops, other businesses

By DON RUANE
druane@news-press.com

Originally posted on April 24, 2007


The owners of The Golf Club in Cape Coral are asking the city to rezone their property to allow business ventures that might include retail shops, offices and multi-family housing.

Kent Carlson of Florida Gulf Ventures Inc. announced the move in a letter to residents dated April 23 and obtained this morning by news-press.com.

The course is zoned residential but designated for parks and recreation uses in the city's future land use plan. City council approval is needed to change it.

“The current economic conditions cannot support a golf course operation. Absent this ability, our partners are deeply committed to finding a solution that is advantageous to the entire community, accentuates our beautiful Florida environment and meets the needs of the local market,” Carlson’s letter said.

“The project will include significant public park and lake components,” Carlson said.

Some residents said during a February townhall meeting that they wanted a combination of city and private sector financing to develop a hotel, convention center and golf course.

Others hoped the city would buy the course and keep it for golf or for a city park.

Owners of The Golf Club land considering plan to rezone area; City officials given notice

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 — Time: 7:49:53 AM EST

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV, CAPE CORAL BREEZE



The Golf Club land may undergo some changes.

Ryan Homes’s Kent Carlson, Bill Nolan and others met individually with Mayor Eric Feichthaler and city council members on Monday to discuss the possibility of bringing forward a land use development plan that would change the area’s zoning from a golf course to possibly a hotel, residences, commercial space or a combination.

District 1 Councilmember Tom Hair said he was not sure what the land use change would entail, but he suspects it could be a private/public partnership that would involve a park as well as mixed use commercial and residential.

Hair said the owners of the land wanted to give council notice it was a plan they were considering.

Hair also said a land use change could take up to nine months to complete before it comes before council.

Cape Coral Economic Development Director Mike Jackson said he has had four different groups of investors approach him about The Golf Club land.

Jackson said he advised all four to speak to the property’s owners because the city has no control over the sale of the land.

Jackson said all four investors’ visions for the area included a golf course with hotel/resort style amenities.

Jackson said he can only work with the vision council has for the area. Investors who share the council’s vision are directed to the owners of The Golf Club.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Golf Club owners researching land possibilities

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV, CAPE CORAL BREEZE

Both parties exchanged pleasantries, but a meeting between District 4 Councilmember Dolores Bertolini and Ryan Companies’ Kent Carlson this week did not produce any solutions concerning property that housed The Golf Club, Cape Coral’s first golf course.

“I was very encouraged because we had an open dialogue,” Bertolini said.

Carlson said his company hired a national marketing research company to do a market analysis to see what type of development would be successful in the area.

He said his company will not be reopening a golf course on the land because it is not economically feasible.

Carlson added that there have been no serious bidders coming in and discussing the property.

Also, Carlson and Bertolini confirmed that an asbestos study is going on in the clubhouse building, and there is a possibility that the facility may have to be torn down.

Bertolini said the current asking price for the site is $28 million, and the owners told her they would be willing to sell it for that amount.

Joe Mazurkiewicz Jr., a member of Save our Recreation, said tearing down the clubhouse is going to happen eventually, anyway.

“No I don’t see that as being a problem, any development that is going to include a golf course would include tearing down the existing clubhouse,” Mazurkiewicz said. “The way it sits right now it’s not financially feasible.”

The former mayor said a group could be put together to purchase the land and turn it into a profitable 18-hole golf course with amenities, but currently he has not heard of any proposals that are on the table.