El Reno - An undeveloped area near the city lake and golf course could be the site of the city’s first gated community if a planned unit development is approved.
Some say the development could be the catalyst for future retail and commercial development near Crimson Creek Golf Club and adjacent Lake El Reno, a 300-acre flood-control reservoir built nearly four decades ago.
Community Development Director Robert Coleman said the whole area is underdeveloped, but it has great potential.
“I think we’ve got a pretty lake that obviously has very good fishing,” Coleman said. “There’s no commercial development, no housing development.
“I’ve talked to some Realtors about the possibility of commercial development out there. The city doesn’t have any long-range plan for the lake property.”
Oklahoma City construction company owner Ron Ward and El Reno businessman Tommy Thompson want to build a 22-lot, garden-style home subdivision on a 4.1 acre tract east of the lake and south of the city-owned golf course.
Ward said plans for Crimson Creek Golf Villas include homes of 1,500 to 3,000 square feet that would sell for $150,000 and more.
“We feel like the location is solid,” Ward said. “The biggest driving force is the demand for a gated community in El Reno with moderately priced homes.”
Lots would be about 50 by 90 feet and would be maintained by the development, he said. Each home would feature a large patio and two car garage.
Plans call for a clubhouse to be built to accommodate small gatherings.
Ward said the nearby golf course is under solid management and the number of rounds played will increase because of westward expansion in the metro area.
Rounds played at the golf course already are near record levels. Head pro Cory Twedell said if good weather continues, the course is on pace for more than 22,000 rounds this year.
Twedell said the course suffers from not having a clubhouse, but commercial and retail development around the lake could increase the tax base enough for the city to afford building a permanent clubhouse.
Ward said the planned villas will offer features designed to appeal to retirees.
Ward said the homes will be located conveniently near the golf course and within 1/4 mile of the lake’s edge.
The development is scheduled for review by the El Reno Planning and Zoning Commission at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Lake El Reno includes about 330 acres of open land. The lake is used recreationally for water skiing, jet skiing, swimming, boating and fishing.
The area also is home to a herd of buffalo, a remote control airplane field and a motorcycle dirt track, according to the city’s Web site. A 22-space recreational vehicle park also is located there.
Source: The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Okla.)