Uncertain protection of Granville Golf Course

In an interview this past week, Village Manager Steve Stilwell reinforced Hartfield's position. Asked if the village could change the current zoning on the golf course -- Planned Unit District -- to Open Space District, he said the council had that power.

But Stilwell said choosing that option Taylormade Burner 2.0 irons carries risks. He said zoning is a system that groups properties with similar attributes. Rezoning the parcel to a category that severely limits development, in anticipation of possible development, could trigger complaints from property owners and/or a legal challenge.

But the council members raised questions about whether there might be other ways of protecting it -- such as through the village's zoning code -- through its control of access to water and sewer lines, or through a deed restriction.

Village Planning Director Alison Terry said in an email she found no evidence that any part of the golf course was protected as open space when the Bryn Du subdivision, which is located directly east of it, was created. She said in some PUD development plan approvals "there is a requirement that there be a certain amount of permanent open space which then offsets the smaller lot sizes that are permitted in this type of zoning classification."

Licking County Recorder Bryan Long said that there could be recorded documents restricting development of the golf course, which opened in 1925. But he said about 400 land records exist regarding the golf course and researching the issue would require an inordinate amount of time.

Hartfield said, "I don't think anyone ever envisioned housing there. Open space probably aligns with what the community wants."

Mason said the township is willing to callaway razr x irons explore any viable alternatives to purchase of development rights, but that "no one has identified alternatives that appear to be viable."

One option for protecting the property, said Jim Murr, a commercial real estate appraiser who works for Columbus-based Carey Realty Partners, is for the owners to donate a conservation easement permanently restricting development of the parcel, to a government entity or a conservation group.

She said that some or all of the issues the council raised concerning alternative means of protecting the golf course would be addressed through the scoring system the township uses for that evaluation.

The sale of development rights, he said, "might make it possible for the owners to sell at reduced rate to new owners who have intentions of managing it as a golf course."

The proposed new Granville Comprehensive Plan's future land-use map places the golf course in the open space category.

Frank Murphy, former president of The Murphy Group, which developed the Erinwood housing and office subdivision in the 1990s, said a discount golf clubs developer would find the property highly attractive for residential development.

In March, the partnership that owns the golf course, who say they are getting older and are looking ahead to when they no longer can be involved in it, asked the township trustees to consider buying development rights to it. By buying development rights -- the cost of which is the difference between the value of the land developed and undeveloped -- the township would ensure the property remains undeveloped forever.