WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — The same Illinois company redeveloping the shuttered English Hills Country Club in Walker into housing and green space now has plans for a Wyoming golf course.
Redhawk Multifamily LLC plans to unveil its proposal for The Pines Golf Course in a series of community meetings next week. Neighbors were alerted to the move in a letter from the golf course.
In the letter, Pines Golf Course, Inc. President Ron Zandbergen said the owners entered into a purchase contract for the property at the corner of Byron Center Avenue and 52nd Street SW.
Zandbergen said because the property is designated for high density multifamily use under Wyoming’s new master plan and the owners are nearing retirement, they became “extremely intrigued” by the redevelopment of English Hills’ golf course into a multifamily development.
“We really liked the developers’ plan which preserved a vast majority of the land,” the letter stated. “For us, it was very important to have a developer that would enhance the neighborhood and follow Wyoming’s Master Plan.”
Zandbergen said The Pines Golf Course development team is “pleased” with the current proposal by Redhawk Multifamily LCC, which includes “an exciting surprise amenity” that will be available to neighbors. However, he did not elaborate on the plans.
“I’m almost more excited about what we’re proposing for this property… that I think will benefit the Wyoming community,” said Mark Avis with Redhawk.
Avis confirmed the details of The Pines letter are accurate. He said his company hasn’t submitted any official plans to the Wyoming planning commission. That move is likely two to three months away after they meet with neighbors to share their proposal and gather feedback.
“It’s a process, but I think they’ll be pleased overall with what we’re proposing,” Avis said over the phone Friday.
It’ll be more than a year before work would start on the project, based on golf course’s letter.
“…We are 100% committed to operating the Pines for the 2022 and 2023 golf seasons,” Zandbergen stated.
Redhawk Multifamily LLC is the same developer handling the English Hills Golf Course redevelopment, which started about two years ago, according to Avis. He said that project didn’t run into any community opposition and is in the last stages of getting a final plan approval. If all goes well, he expects construction on the 552-unit apartment complex and park expansion at English Hills to start late this year.
“These big projects take that long,” Avis said.
News 8 left messages seeking additional information from The Pines Golf Club on Friday, but has not yet heard back.
The Pines opened in 1967. It’s the third golf course in the Grand Rapids area to be sold for redevelopment since 2020. Illinois-based Stoneleigh Companies wants to transform the former 105-acre site of Lincoln Country Club into 68 homes, 250 single-story apartments and have 7 acres for commercial use.
Avis said golf course redevelopments are a nationwide trend because generally up until a pandemic uptick, golf course owners had been losing money year over year for decades.
According to the National Golf Foundation, golf course closures have outweighed new openings since 2005. NGF said the market was correcting itself to balance supply and demand after a golf course building boom from 1986 to 2005.
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