Plans are underway for a new housing development at a former golf course in Pataskala, Ohio, about 30 minutes east of the state capital of Columbus.
High Lands Golf Club, which closed in 2019, was recently sold to AV Investment LLC. for $2.5 million. The transfer was final on Dec. 30.
High Lands opened in 1957. Kassel Equity bought the course in 2014 and did renovations both to the course and to the clubhouse in the two years that followed. It was considered one of the most affordable clubs at the time, and had been converted to semi-private so members of the public could play.
”I want to express my gratitude for your ongoing support, not only for the time that I have been here, but for the countless years that most of you have been a part of the High Lands Golf Club family,” David Steckel, the club’s interim general manager, wrote upon the closure in 2019.
A proposal to rezone the land from agricultural to planned development district has been submitted to the Pataskala Planning and Zoning Commission for the approximately 160-acre site. The rezoning would clear the way for the single-family residential development called The Meadows at Highlands.
The development, which would be in the Licking Heights Local Schools District, would have two full access points on Hollow Road SW and one emergency and maintenance-only access point on Alward Road SW.
The Meadows at Highlands would feature lots that vary in size from 2-4 acres with more than 75 acres of the property remaining as open space, said Joe Clase, the principal at the land use planner Plan 4 Land, who submitted the rezoning application on behalf of his clients at AV Investment LLC.
Clase said during the Dec. 1 planning and zoning commission meeting that all open spaces would be cared for using money from a homeowners association and the property owners envision the golf course’s maintenance facility will remain to take care of the more than 80 acres of open space throughout the development.
The original plans stated the subdivision would include 24 lots with a 12-acre park in the center. But Clase said after presenting their plans at the Dec. 1 meeting, the development may have a few more lots and the park may not come to fruition as more space is needed to meet the West Licking Joint Fire District’s standards for roadways.
“We’re just trying to figure out what it’s going to look like and how we can address everybody’s concerns,” he said.
The commission delayed acting on the rezoning request because they wanted more specifics about dealing with stormwater, minimum square footage for the homes, buffering on the perimeter of the development and other information.
Clase said work is currently underway to answer any lingering questions about the development. He hopes to resubmit the rezoning application by Feb. 4, so the planning and zoning commission can consider it at its March 2 meeting.
“We just at this point need to work out some of the technical details to make sure the board’s still comfortable with the lot layout and design and we’ll hopefully get that in March, so we can keep moving forward with it,” Clase said.
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
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