Hundreds gather to discuss golf course’s future

Hundreds of home owners and concerned club members gathered Sunday afternoon at Stoneridge Country Club to discuss the possibility of the golf course being developed into homes.

The forum, which lasted for about 40 minutes, was held to let people know what was going on and to clear up any rumors, said Mitch Steller, the president/CEO of the Save Stoneridge LLC.

Steller said that a committee of over a dozen people has been working behind the scenes for about six months, and that the LLC has been in discussion with a support team of lawyers and PR people receiving some advice for free, though Steller said he didn’t think that would continue indefinitely.

Quashing rumors was the hot topic for the forum, including the rumor that the owner of the Stoneridge Coutry Club, Michael Schlesinger, plans to build homes on the golf course.

“The owner has not declared his intentions for the club,” said Steller. “He continues to run the club.”

Steller said that while the club was financially viable and running “very well,” the owner has only made sporadic capital improvements and overall maintenance has been reduced.

While Schlesinger has not formally declared his intention to build homes on the course, Steller said the owner has engaged a PR firm to conduct telephone and door-to-door surveys about developing the course into homes.

Stoneridge Country Club is not currently for sale, said Steller, but investors have expressed interest in buying it.

Steller said that Schlesinger has purchased four other golf courses and has shut down three of them. The fourth golf course remains open but the club’s pool has been shut down. Schlesinger has not been successful in building homes on any of his other clubs, said Steller.

Members of the LLC have met with Poway Mayor Steve Vaus and the assistant city planner, said Steller, to discuss options and what Schlesinger would need to do to convert the course to homes if he chose.

Turning the Stoneridge golf course into homes wouldn’t be an easy task. The homes surrounding the club are under a Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions until June 2020 that specifies that the golf course must remain a golf course.

Following the expiration of the CC&R in 2020, the golf course will become “open space recreation,” which still isn’t zoned for housing, said Steller.

Under Proposition FF, Schlesinger would have to get a 50 percent or higher vote from Powegians on a general election ballot in order to change the zoning.

Steller said that while Schlesinger would technically take this to vote at any time, even if it passed, he still wouldn’t be able to begin work on homes on the course until the CC&R expires in June 2020.

Steller emphasized during the forum that Schlesinger has not declared any intention to build homes on the course, and as such, the LLC has no current plans for litigation. “If the owner did declare intention or take action to develop, only then will be have a fight,” said Steller.

Steller said he and the members of the LLC are interested in having a face-to-face meeting with Schlesinger, to find out his intentions and offer him their support. “None of us have ever met with him,” said Steller. “We want to sit down with him and see how he wants to make this a successful country club. We have lots of skilled people who can help. We could help the owner sell it. The only thing we want to do is maintain (Stoneridge) as an 18-hole golf course.”

Steller said the LLC was looking for ideas and suggestions from Powegians as to where they should go next. The LLC can be contacted at savestoneridge@outlook.com.