Rock Spring Golf Community sees redevelopment proposal

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WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney, Councilwoman Tammy Williams and Councilwoman Michelle Casalino were in attendance to discuss redeveloping part of the Rock Spring Golf Club on Thursday, Feb. 16. Financial payments owed to the township after acquiring the golf club for $11.2 million in 2019 were discussed, as was the possibility of zoning redevelopment being done on a portion of the property.

“Since acquiring the golf club, the township has seen lost taxes of over $640,000,” Richard Trank, the West Orange township attorney who has served since 1998, said at the meeting. “In addition, the debt that has been created also exceeds $700,000, which comes out to over $1 million.”

“When this property was purchased four years ago, the township anticipated a loss of taxes of $585,000 and a debt service that would cost $700,000,” John Gross, West Orange business administrator and chief financial officer, said at the meeting. “Here we are, four years later, we are still in the same spot we were then, in terms of yearly debt. We are getting some revenue, but we must reinvest in maintenance of old buildings, so it is zero sum.”

Because of this, the township is looking for redevelopment projects that will increase tax revenue, providing financial growth for the township to hopefully offset costs of maintaining the golf club year after year, as well as accounting for lost taxes and debt service.

“One of the problems with this course is that it has an irrigation problem,” Trank said. “To fix that could cost over $3 million, so the township voted to build golf paths around it. We spent over $1 million on golf carts for this property.”

The previous proposal for redevelopment, as proposed by former Mayor Robert Parisi in 2019, would see 15-18 acres of the 188-acre property set aside for affordable housing. The golf course would be downsized to nine holes and 175 residential units would be created for new residents, of which 30 of those units would be moderate/affordable, according to the proposal. The total cost of this redevelopment proposal would be $7.5 million and be located along Northfield Avenue.

A second proposal for development, proposed by Parisi in 2021, would continue from the original proposal in 2019, building a road at the intersection of Northfield and Ridgeway avenues, which would be more than 1,250 feet in length. Accounting for a topography change to the golf course from the initial proposal, the estimated cost for the road would be $2 million.

Due to these costs, both proposals for redevelopment of part of the 188-acre property have been estimated to cost approximately $10 million.
“We are obviously very concerned about trying to meet all of the priorities while also preserving this wonderful asset that the township has,” David Cronheim, CEO of Watchung Valley Golf Club and treasurer of the New Jersey State Golf Association, said at the meeting.

“There are a lot of people who are first exposed to West Orange through Rock Spring, so it is a wonderful marketing piece for the town. We appreciate the tremendous response from both this community and the larger golf community. We will do our best to preserve the property.”