Woodland Golf Club Construction Planned

It's going to be a busy offseason at Woodland Golf Club.

The Auburndale club plans to replace its 23-year-old pool house/snack bar with two separate buildings. The project also calls for a new kiddie pool and a clubhouse terrace.

"The pool area has not been renovated in some decades, and it's time for us to put up a new building," said Vincent Farina, a club member and Newton resident.

Woodland Golf Club has applied to the city for two special permits related to the project--one for the pool house, food service building, kiddie pool and associated upgrades, and another for the clubhouse terrace.

The club is also renovating its driving range but did not require city approval for that work.

The Board of Aldermen's land use committee unanimously approved the special permit applications earlier this month, and the full board approved the project Monday night.

"The facility deserves upgrading, and it's served the community for a long time," said Deborah Crossley, Ward 5 alderman-at-large and a member of the land use committee.

Woodland Golf Club attorney Stephen Buchbinder described the existing facilities as "tired" and, in some cases, not up to code in terms of safety and accessibility.

The new buildings and pool will be handicap accessible and the new food service building will also meet health regulations, he said. In addition, plans call for the use of energy-efficient lighting and appliances.

According to plans submitted to the Land Use Committee, the two new structures will be much larger than the existing pool house/snack bar, which takes up just more than 1,600 square feet. The new pool house alone is going to be 1,972 square feet and the food service building will be another 677 square feet.

In addition, the clubhouse terrace will take up 1,360 square feet, the plans said.

The club did disclose the price of the renovations. 

David Garfinkle, the club's general manager, stressed the project is only designed to serve current members--not attract new ones.

"Our membership is not expanding," he said. "We have a fixed number."

The closest residential abutter to the club is 580 feet away on Aspen Avenue, near the northeast side of the club's Washington Street property. The club has not received any complaints from neighbors about the project, Buchbinder said, and he doesn't believe the improvements will have any real impact on the neighborhood.

As a condition of the permit approval, the club must limit construction on Saturdays to between 9 am and 5 pm and make sure the noise does not interfere with services at Temple Reyim across the street.

"We're just concerned that they don't start too early on Saturdays," said Jay Harney, Ward 4 alderman.

The club plans to start construction by Nov. 15 and finish work by May.