Golf Course Sale/Rezoning Update

Published: November 04, 2015

The board met with Jeff Blackard the last week of October, he is moving forward with his contract to purchase the golf course and has filed the re-zoning with the City of McKinney Case #15-290Z. The filing to rezone only affects the property south of Stewart, the planning and zoning meeting is scheduled for December 8th and City Council for January 5th.

As the 18 hole golf course option has not come to fruition at this time, the board has given support to Mr. Blackard for the 9 hole concept contingent on his providing a legal document that addresses and confirms several outstanding issues.

1. Blanket Easement covering all irrigation lines north of Stewart to allow HOA to access and repair common area irrigation lines if needed.

2. Continued access and use of water from golf course at no cost to McKinney Greens HOA for irrigation to HOA common areas.

3. Commitment to construct 9 hole course which includes current holes 2 and 3 prior to village development.

4. Main entrance to village will be located on Hwy 5 with minimal entrances on Stewart Road to minimize traffic to and thru HOA streets.

5. Golf Course will continue to remain open and/or maintained during the transition.

6. New clubhouse and driving range to be located along Hwy 5 and away from homeowners backyards.

7. Clarification of deed restrictions on the property north of Stewart to include “greenbelt” definition that includes golf course, recreational, hike and bike trails, etc.

8. Ownership of 9 hole course will be a separate entity but supported by POA assessments to offset any shortfalls, McKinney Greens HOA will have no financial obligation or burden.

9. Donation of the 9 hole course to the City for 18 hole course will remain available until the first planning and zoning meeting scheduled for December 8, 2015.

Several homeowners have submitted questions to the board as follows:

1. Will the golf course remain open after Mr. Blackard takes possession of the golf course? Yes, Mr. Blackard indicated that he would keep the course open and maintained until construction is required to revise the course to create the 9 hole training facility and build the structures and driving range after which the course would reopen. Where will the driving range, cart barn and clubhouse be located? Mr. Blackard indicated these structures would be located along Hwy 5 with the clubhouse and cart barn and parking area at the intersection of Hwy 5 and Stewart as that is the only portion of the property outside of the flood plain.

2. Will there be a large “Top Golf” fence along Hwy 5 for the driving range? Yes and no, a fence will be required to keep the driving range balls contained but Mr. Blackard indicated it would not be the height of a “Top Golf” fence. Will he remove trees to create the driving range? Yes, some trees currently located in the fairways and along the edges may be removed but he indicated not the entire tree line which creates the buffer between our homes and Hwy 5.

2. Who will own and maintain the course, will McKinney Greens homeowners have any financial responsibility for ongoing maintenance and upkeep? Mr. Blackard will form a separate corporation that will own the 9 hole training facility and will be responsible for its upkeep. The Village POA will pay a portion of their assessments to the facility to cover shortfalls in revenue.

3. What type of deed restrictions is he going to place on the 9 hole course? Mr. Blackard has indicated that he would be willing to place a “greenbelt” deed restriction on the 9 hole course so that no residential or commercial building could be constructed on the property without 75% approval from the McKinney Greens homeowners. The board did not ask for this, Mr. Blackard offered it to make the homeowners feel more secure that their “views” would not be impeded. This would allow any type of recreational usage of the property, golf course, park, hiking and biking trails, etc. but would be a deterrent to any residential or commercial builder trying to develop the property as a deed restriction is controlled by the homeowners rather than by the City Council with a request to rezone.

4. What is Mr. Blackard willing to do regarding water access and easements for McKinney Greens HOA to continue access to golf course water for our common areas? Mr. Blackard indicated he is willing to provide McKinney Greens HOA with a blanket easement for access to all irrigation lines and access to the well water for irrigation of our common areas. He also indicated that a new well would need to be drilled as the current well would is not deep enough as well as the ponds dredged to create more water storage area. This would probably be done during the construction phase of the golf course renovation.

As stated above, the board has requested and is working on obtaining a written legal document outlining all of these issues prior to the planning and zoning meeting to protect our homeowners and obligate Mr. Blackard to fulfill the obligations required to obtain McKinney Greens HOA support for the rezoning.

Click here to download and review the associated map

McKinney Greens Homeowners Association