(La Porte, IN) – The door has opened for a La Porte golf course to be converted into a new housing development.
The La Porte City Council on Monday voted unanimously in favor of the developer’s request to amend the current residential zoning at the soon to be former Briar Leaf Golf Club on Indiana 39 just south of the Indiana Toll Road.
The zoning change allows the developer, Lennar Homes of Indiana, to keep moving forward on plans to build close to 300 single family homes at the 18-hole golf course on lots ranging from 45 to 60 feet wide.
Lot sizes under the former zoning had to be at least 100 feet in width.
Density seemed to be the major concern of nearby residents like Gary Metcalf, who spoke up about the project.
“I’m not against it. I’m just against that you’re stacking too many people into one little area too tight,” said
A number of residents would like the property to remain as it is, saying they moved to the neighborhood mainly because of the golf course.
Attorney Dave Ambers, who represents a homeowner close to the proposed development, suggested no decision be made by the council until after the zoning change request was further reviewed. Ambers said much smaller lots would harm the character of existing homes on and around the golf course with lots up to 200 feet in width.
“I wish you would table this for a month or two and analyze is this something we really want,” he said.
La Porte area resident Ethan Koontz said the density of the homes will increase the amount of storm water not soaking into the ground, which could impact a wetland area beside the golf course.
City Councilwoman Lauren Huffman based on her experience as a commercial developer said there will be studies of the wetlands and involvement by the state, if necessary, to safeguard the natural resource.
“There’s a lot of reviews. It takes a lot of time to make sure that we’re putting back in what we’re getting out of it,” she said.
Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, said smaller lot sizes are what a lot of prospective home buyers prefer nowadays.
He said the smaller lots also increase the number of homes that can go up at the golf course, allowing the developer to profit more and pay the entire cost of new streets and other infrastructure without seeking financial help from the city.
Cook also said it would be the largest new subdivision in recent memory in La Porte and make a noticeable dent in the ongoing effort to modernize the city’s aging housing stock.
He also pointed out Lennar Homes, which has an office in the Chicago area, is one of the largest housing developers in the nation. The price of the homes are expected to range from $350,000 to $450,000 depending largely on size.
“We have a high level of confidence that this will be successful. It will provide a new housing product that we don’t currently have,” he said.
Cook said the current property owners notified the city the golf course due to financial challenges the past several years will be closing for good before the next season.
He said attempts to find a buyer who would keep the property as a golf course had failed before the housing developer emerged as a potential buyer.
Cook said the pending sale can now move toward closing since the zoning change opened the door for the project.