Future of Winnapaug “Gloomy” After Latest Proposal for Development
The future of Westerly’s Winnapaug Country Club looks “gloomy.”
This comes after a new proposal from Winn Properties LLC to build 2,300 housing units on the Donald Ross course could be filed with the town early in 2024, according to reporting by The Westerly Sun.
“I think your readers should know it’s rather gloomy for the golf course and for stopping the development of the golf course,” Ed Rossomando of Keep Westerly Green told GolfNewsRI about the situation.
Course owner Jill Scola serves as a Principal for Winn Properties and tells The Westerly Sun, “we are still evaluating certain aspects of the plan.”
According to the Sun, Scola believes an application could be filed within the next 30 days.
But why is another Donald Ross course in jeopardy?
“It’s hard to imagine that the owners are in financial stress, which was their original reason for going forward. There was economic stress from the pandemic. But now, all that has abated and they seem to have customers, they have golfers, plenty of them. I see that they have various tournaments. I could see high school kids out on the course at various times for the weekend,” adds Rossomando, who lives near the course.
Rossomando notes that this is all about affordable housing and the push for it across Rhode Island.
“There seems to be a push (for affordable housing) within the state of Rhode Island. These new laws that were passed to encourage towns to build affordable housing. And it is true, Westerly is below the recommended 10% that we have been asked to meet. We are at about 5%,” Rossomando explains to GolfNewsRI.
The Sun reports that Winn’s RI Housing application includes 690 affordable units, and 1,160 “market rate” units across the 120-acre golf course.
Not to mention, parking lots, driveways and other things that make up a neighborhood.
Rossomando adds, “I mean, it’s hard to avoid the conclusions from seeing the diagram and seeing the location of those houses on the course. It’s hard to imagine that you could still play golf.”
The construction budget is listed at $703.5 million.
The housing application simply just gives the developers permission to move forward and seek permit.
“This is, as I say, is not a done deal. The owners have not put forth a permit request so the clock has not started.”
How We Got Here
As GolfNewsRI’s reported back in April of 2022, Jack Nicklaus’ design firm, Nicklaus Design, was tapped to renovate the course.
Winnapaug was going to be Nicklaus’ first course in Rhode Island and the first Donald Ross course the company had worked with.
Plans included a new clubhouse, pro shop, restaurant and banquet hall.
However, that all went away in November of 2022 when the Westerly Town Council denied Winnapaug’s zoning ordinance,” as GolfNewsRI reported.
The Nicklaus group dropped out shortly after that ruling.
Winn Properties filed proposals for development in June of 2023 and another, larger proposal, in September.
KWG Taking Action
Like Keep Metacomet Green in East Providence, Keep Westerly Green has taken action and fighting off the proposed development.
On their Facebook page, KWG notes that only 6.9% of Westerly’s total acreage is public access green space.
They also note that development of the course violates the town zoning ordinances as the golf course is not zoned – it is “residential.”
“The Salt Pond Marsh Coalition, they’re involved. Believe it or not, the Dunns Corner Fire District is involved because they see that there’s gonna be a huge amount of fire protection needed and all of those costs will go on the taxpayers of Westerly. We are also working with the sewage people. There are no sewers in that area – it’s a golf course, said Rossomando about the group.
He concludes, “I mean, you can see that the project is way out of line.”
Hilarious. Keep Westerly Green and neighboring residents opposed the first proposal…
Opponents of the project said the size of the potential development and height of buildings was an ongoing concern, as well as parking and traffic impact.
The Sun last week contacted Keep Westerly Green, the grassroots group opposed to Winn’s previous proposal. A spokesman had not responded as of Monday afternoon.
… and got bit by being reactionary NIMBY’s. They should have taken a ride up to the Owl’s Nest in NH to see what they were opposing. Now you are going to lose your open space and get even higher buildings. Why? Because when the NIMBY’s convince the planning board to oppose the new proposal, they will get overridden by the State Housing Appeals Board because Winn is building affordable housing.
Instead of having a beautiful, refurbished golf course with *gasp* cottages and a hotel, you’ll get lots and lots of apartments. And now Keep Westerly Green is trying to rally golfers to their defense. lol.
The response is silly and little in merit because there was definitely over development in the first proposal in that they asked for housing and condos which were not suitable for the size of the course they were planning. The hotel was massive with no guarantee the town could support it. It was drawn and proposed like a Disney approach, very foolishly I might add. The area where Owls nest is built is incredibly spacious surrounded by the White Mountains where there are hundred of acres, not a few by the shoreline in already overpopulated area per CRMC and a flood zone….. Let’s see how the state plans to override their own restrictions for the coast line, not to mention federal wetland preservation. Westerly has tons of space for affordable housing away from the coast in less populated areas, why not build there? How about the owner(s) be realistic in their request. As always this just about influence, power and money. Money can buy everything but there is only so much land left and it’s precious when abuts salt ponds/marshes and coast line. I doubt Don Ross thought about putting a high rise hotel in when built the course….
In response to Mr. Botts.
Winn Properties had the go ahead to build a hotel, a new clubhouse with banquet facilities, a renovated golf course and more. He was not denied “cottages”. He was denied condos, townhouses and other housing placed throughout an already developed neighborhood that surrounds a golf course.
Winn Properties have chosen to be spiteful and are proposing to bulldoze the entire property and are hoping to use the Comprehensive Permit process to accomplish this.
Keep Westerly Green is not only trying to rally golfers, but residents, our tourists and all people who visit Westerly and enjoy its open space. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Go ahead ruin your precious golf course in fact I double dog dare you to build this ugly mess.