Developer Proposes 18-Hole Golf Course In Otis Orchards

A developer is advertising a golf course he intends to build in Otis Orchards even though he hasn’t received permission for the project.

For the past several weeks Mike Zink of Golf Technology Associates has distributed a brochure advertising the Tradition at Woodland Hills to residents who live near the proposal.

Zink wants to build an 18-hole course and 37-home subdivision on nearly 200 acres near Trent Avenue and Campbell Road.

Some neighbors who received the brochure are upset about the project, saying it is likely to disrupt their quiet rural lifestyle.

Most of the homes around the proposed golf course sit on five or 10 acres. Many people have small orchards or keep livestock.

Bernice Howe, whose home of 45 years would border the 11th and 12th fairways, worries about increased traffic and higher taxes if the course is built.

Trent is only two lanes that far east, as is the gravel stretch of Campbell.

“Those are just small roads,” Howe said.

The luxury homes slated for Woodland Hills would raise property values in the surrounding community, which would mean higher taxes, she predicted.

“That’s fine if you plan to sell, but we don’t,” said Howe, who shares a roomy house and six acres with her husband, LeRoy.

Other neighbors said they’re indifferent to the project.

“I don’t really care,” said Darl Wheeler, who owns a farm and fruit stand nearby.

Zink was out of town this week and unavailable for comment.

Fred Rogers, who owns the land, was reluctant to talk about the project, saying it was too early to discuss details.

He and Zink are submitting plans for the course to the county planning department, he said. A hearing on the proposal is likely in March or April.

“Call back in a month and maybe we’ll have something for you,” said Rogers, who farmed the land for decades.

The glossy pamphlet given out to the neighbors shows Woodland Hills as an 18-hole layout complete with a clubhouse and driving range.

The brochure states the course would have “signature designs,” like double-island greens, multiple water hazards and sand and grass bunkers.

There also would be a pro shop, a lounge, meeting rooms and a restaurant that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If the project receives county approval, construction is scheduled to start this spring, with the course opening in the spring of next year.

Howe hopes that isn’t true.

The grandmother of 10 said rumors about a golf course being built in the neighborhood went around a couple years ago.

“We thought it was a joke then,” she said Tuesday. “Looks like the joke’s on us now.”

, DataTimes