Country Club Lease Planned to Build Hotel

The township-owned may have a new addition to its existing golf course, restaurant, swimming pool and ice rink – a 94-room hotel.

Commissioners May 8 announced a prospective a 30-year lease agreement with the current country club facility operator, Patrick J. Burns, to construct an upscale hotel on an estimated one-acre piece of land between the restaurant and the historic Taylor Evans House.

According to the proposed agreement, the township would own the hotel at the end of the lease, which may include two 10-year extension options.

Commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of a motion to move forward with finalizing the lease agreement. Fourth Ward Commissioner Paul Wechsler had the sole negative vote.

“In principal, I’m for the project. I think it’s a good idea. I just have some minor disagreements with some of the technical terms of the lease,” Wechsler said. He declined to offer specific contentions.

Officials’ selling points for the lease and hotel project include increased residual revenue from more out of town guests using the club’s facilities, rental, business and mercantile tax income and temporary and permanent job creation.

During the meeting, township solicitor James Byrne, Jr. had prospective lessee Burns confirm 1.) He would construct a hotel at no cost to the township and at the end of the lease the structure would belong to the township 2.) The hotel would not affect anything existing on the property, including the number of golf course holes 3.) There would be additional parking to accommodate. 4.) It would not affect surrounding properties and include extensive landscaping. 5.) It would be upscale and its architecture would match that of the country club’s style.

The lease is not finalized and the project will need to go through the proper avenues to get zoning, land development and building permits, solicitor Byrne confirmed.

The township hired real estate consultant Marshall J. Soss, president and CEO of KarMar Realty Group, Inc. for a hotel feasibility study.

“This endeavor makes economic sense for the township,” Soss stated in a May 8 letter to Township Manager Lee Fulton. “The building of the hotel, along with the jobs that come from this project, produces more income to be spent amongst local businesses. It would also generate more business for banquets and meetings along with drawing more attention to the golf course as well. This in turn brings more overall economic growth to the township.”

Board President and Fifth Ward on the proposed land lease and hotel development in which he stated that it would create up to 120 construction jobs and 60 to 90 permanent jobs.

“The whole facility screams for something like this,” Fulton said after the May 8 meeting. “With all the DUI issues today, people come to functions and they want a nice place to stay.”