Lewiston Town Board OKs land sale for golf course

by Larry Austin
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 31, 2005

Lewiston residents living near the proposed golf course learned a little bit more about the project Thursday at a public information meeting that preceded the year-end Town Board session.

After the information meeting, the board voted 5-0 to sell two parcels of land to Old Creek Development, developers of the course, for $154,000.

The non-contiguous parcels of land total 17 acres. “We first sold the 10 acres,” Supervisor Fred Newlin said. “That may or may not be used as part of the golf course. They may put a hole there. The additional 6 to 7 acres, though, those will be sold with a conservation easement, which means nothing can be built upon the land. No trees, no shrubs, no other natural vegetation can be cleared from the land.”

During a town work session on Dec. 12, the board noted that the land’s location makes it a burden to develop. The town has been in negotiations with Old Creek Development for a private course after that could have a value of $10 million. The town property has long been intended for a park, but its location makes it less accessible to residents and not as attractive a location for a playground or playing fields.

‘To Keep It Green’

“We’re going to take the burden out, we’re going to pay the taxes on it, we’re going to promise to keep it green,” said Old Creek’s attorney Michael Dowd.

The additional property allows the course to grow to well over 200 acres, making a championship-level course a possibility.

“The group, the developers that build this course, want the latitude to build a really great course,” Dowd added. “They want a blank canvas so that they can build a really super course that’s going to be great for the town.”

Dowd said the land would be fully taxable. Though he declined to identify his partner in the development, the Seneca Nation of Indians is the presumed partner. Only an act of the state Legislature would make the course sovereign land of the Seneca Nation, he noted.

Town attorney David Boniello said the deal includes a conservation easement, buffer zone, and other restrictions. The properties will revert to town possession if not used for intended purposes, he said.

“Those restrictive covenants will be part of the deed, and they would have to be signed by Old Creek Development,” Boniello said.

Residents Want Plans

About 40 residents who live near the proposed course - planned for an area between Creek Road, Pletcher Road, and the Robert Moses Parkway - attended the meeting. John Hager of Curtis Court North echoed a comment by many residents at a Dec. 12 work session about the absence of detailed plans for the course. He said that while he did not oppose a golf course, many residents’ concerns would be alleviated if there were a working plan the public could see. Dowd said maps would be available as soon as a permit is submitted, which could take a matter of months.

Jane Ziobrowski of Curtis Court North asked Dowd about a possible timeline for the project. Dowd said the process for permitting would begin "in earnest" and that a permit request is three to four months away.