The owner of Pomme Creek Golf Course is reviving a plan to build 46 attached housing units on the golf course because the Arnold City Council rejected a larger development proposal for the property.
Pomme Creek owner Rick Meyer says profits at the course have fallen off in the face of competition and he needs to develop unused land at the course to pay debts.
"The pie is only so big," Meyer said, and the course's profit margin isn't what he'd like it to be.
Meyer said he planned to construct two-family buildings on the hill just south of the course off Industrial Drive. The land was rezoned in February 2003 from an industrial to residential status that would allow multifamily structures.
Meyer would have to begin construction by July 17 to comply with the zoning change, but he says he plans to ask for an extension so planning for the project can be completed.
"We kind of put (the smaller plan) on the shelf when we thought we could move forward with the large-scale development," Meyer said.
Meyer's larger plan would have scattered 236 houses on unused land around the course's 18 holes, including 140 connected to Linderhof off Jeffco Boulevard. That plan faced opposition from residents of Linderhof and was nixed by the Arnold City Council June 3 after residents complained about increased traffic and safety concerns.
Some residents also worried that the interconnected development would decrease their property values.
Meyer said he was working out details with a Jefferson County developer for the smaller plan. He declined to name the company.
Meyer said he hoped to begin construction in the next few months and have a display house ready by October.
Arnold City Administrator John Brazeal says Meyer's schedule may be overly optimistic because improvement plans and building permits still must be filed with and approved by the city.
Meyer said he had no solid plan for further sales or development of the property.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)