CAMBY, Indiana — When Kari Mann sits on her porch in the evening, looking out at the golf course that sits across the street, she finds a sense of peace. Over the course of an hour, only one or two cars passes by.
The golf course, The Links at Heartland Crossing, has long drawn families like Mann’s to the Heartland Crossing neighborhood, a massive 2,500-home development that took shape almost three decades ago. Many kids who live in Heartland Crossing received their first paychecks from part-time work at the golf course, and the Mooresville high school golf team practices on the green.
But a petition to rezone the golf course to residential use could soon change the neighborhood dramatically.
Heartland Crossing sits 16 miles southwest of downtown Indianapolis in Camby, Indiana, a town at the intersection of Marion, Morgan and Hendricks counties. The community is separated into roughly a dozen subsections, with each area home to different style of residences, from starter homes to ranch-style senior living houses. Construction on the newest section finished earlier this year.
In recent years, uncertainty has lingered over the future of the golf course, as numerous developers have approached the current owner, Ron Overton, seeing a large piece of land ripe for development. Overton, 72, bought the golf course in 2018 after a career in manufacturing. It’s the only golf course he owns.
Over the past three years, none of the offers to buy the course materialized into solid enough plans to reach the Morgan County Advisory Plan Commission, which must approve any potential rezoning.
Then in June, Indianapolis-based Gradison Land Development submitted a proposal to rezone the land for residential use before they would buy the land for redevelopment. It’s the first time a rezoning petition for the land was submitted to the county.
More: Golfweek’s Best public-access and private golf courses in Indiana, ranked
Heartland Crossing residents quickly banded together against the petition.
Their top concerns include the density of the proposed development. In a rough plan submitted to the county and provided to Heartland Crossing residents, developers envision building 600 homes on the 200-acre golf course.
On the street where Mann lives, roughly five houses would occupy the same space as Mann’s property on the opposite side, according to the proposal.
“We can’t be complacent,” Mann said. “This is not how it should be done.”
Should development replace green space?
The possibility of rezoning the land has ignited a longstanding debate between developers and homeowners near potential redevelopment: Should residential development replace a neighborhood’s existing green space?
Heartland Crossing resident Brian Wiser said the nearby homeowners recognize the need for growth in Morgan County, particularly along the corridor along Indiana State Road 67. But, Wiser said, the group questioning the golf course sale wants more thought put into how dense any development there should be.
“We aren’t an anti-growth community. We are a controlled growth community,” Wiser said. “It’s not just about saving a golf course. It’s about not losing green space and not overdoing density.”
Gradison Land Development did not respond to messages requesting comment.
The rezoning petition will go before the commission on Sept. 9, after multiple continuances pushed it back from a July meeting. Residents say they are prepared to show up to fight the rezoning.
Overton told IndyStar he would consider selling for redevelopment if a developer receives the proper approval from Morgan County, even if that means the golf course goes with it.
“It’s up to the zoning board,” Overton said. “Someone’s going to look at it and say, ‘What’s the best use of this property.'”
Morgan County Plan Commission officials did not respond to IndyStar requests for comment.
Golf course represents a costly business
The Links at Heartland Crossing opened in 1998 and were designed by Steve Smyers, a well-known golf architect who also designed the former Wolf Run Golf Course in Zionsville. Developers attempted to convert that golf course into residential homes in 2017, but the town of Zionsville rejected the plan, electing to preserve the open space that would later become the Carpenter Nature Preserve.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a boom in new golf courses around Indiana, with many of those courses built adjacent to residential communities similar to The Links, said Mike David, executive director of the state’s golf association, Indiana Golf.
The Links became known for its course difficulty and layout, David said, drawing in competitive golfers from around the city and once hosting the state’s highest tournament, the PGA Indiana Open Championship.
Due to an abundant supply of golf courses and a lower demand to play, Indiana golfers lost several courses in the early 2000s, David said, but a resurgence of golf during the pandemic brought an increased demand for the sport, as people sought out safe, distanced sports to play.
Still, even with the resurgence of golf during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of keeping up a golf course has increased markedly.
Overton said he routinely golfed at The Links once or twice a week when the previous owners approached him in 2018 and asked if he was interested in purchasing the business. The condition of the course was deteriorating, he said, and he agreed to buy the business, thinking he could turn the course around. However, the cost of upkeep proved more costly than he had realized.
He estimates it costs $600,000 annually just to maintain the grounds of Heartland Crossing, and the total cost of operations comes in at nearly $1 million. Overton declined to say how much he bought the course for in 2018.
Around 2021, three years after he acquired the property, Overton said he began receiving unsolicited offers from developers.
Spanning 200 acres, The Links is larger in size than the average 18-hole golf course, which covers roughly 150 acres, Overton said. Due to its large size, it would be possible to develop houses around the green, while keeping the course open. A development company approached Overton with a plan to do so, but the proposal fell through due to rising interest rates and inflation before it got very far.
During that same time period, Overton attempted to find another buyer who would buy the land and maintain the golf course to no avail. Under the current petition, the golf course would be completely bulldozed to make room for houses.
Overton said he understands why homeowners are upset about the possibility of losing the golf course. But regardless of the outcome of next month’s rezoning petition, he is looking to sell the property.
“It’s a business with very thin margins,” Overton said. “At times it’s a fun business, but as a business owner you are trying to be profitable and hire people in the community. That’s just the reality.”
Alysa Guffey covers commercial real estate and growth and development for IndyStar. Contact her at amguffey@gannett.com or on Twitter/X: @AlysaGuffeyNews.