Hampshire Country Club plans to end golf, build homes
- An application is filed to build 44 single-family homes and 61 townhouses.
- The village rejected a rezoning proposal that would have built condos but spared the golf course.
- An access road will be built from Boston Post Road.
- A lawsuit by the club against the village remains in progress.
The 18-hole golf course at Hampshire Country Club would be plowed over to make way for 105 homes under a new proposal from the club's owners.
Hampshire and developer Toll Brothers filed an application with the village of Mamaroneck June 26 to build 44 single-family homes and 61 townhouses on the 106-acre property. The new plan comes a year after the village rejected rezoning the area to pave the way for a 121-unit condominium plan that would have spared the golf course.
Thomas Nappi, a spokesman for the club, told The Journal News he didn't believe the village would be revisiting the condominium plan. Hampshire is suing Mamaroneck in state Supreme Court for $55 million over the process of rejecting the rezoning.
"Frankly, I haven't given it too much thought lately," Nappi said. "They didn't even consider it...I don't know what would change now that they would consider it."
Mayor Norman Rosenblum said due to the lawsuit he wouldn't comment on specifics of the plan or the potential for negotiations.
"They certainly have a right to go before the Planning Board," he said. "All sides will find out what's allowable or not allowable on that site."
Hampshire Recreation, the current owners, bought the struggling country club in 2010. Developing the property for residential use was a concern of neighbors, including the members of a civic group called the Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition, who said development could increase flooding and traffic in the area.
That group recently lost a lawsuit of its own against the club and the village for allowing Hampshire to host a limited number of non-member events such as receptions. The group did not reply to an emailed request for comment.
The latest plan would avoid environmentally sensitive sections of the property in an area prone to flooding and preserve 73 acres as open space, Nappi said. The proposal includes an expanded pool, new tennis facility and a renovated clubhouse. The club said it might cart in a limited amount of fill for the project but is hoping to modify the construction so that no fill is needed.
There would be three access roads to the property, including a new entrance from Boston Post Road.
The club will present its plan to the village Planning Board at its meeting Wednesday, July 8.
Twitter: @marklungariello