Neglect of Union Hills Country Club still going on

Yes. We really need to face facts. When boomers started to retire they wanted newer and better. The ones with money are in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley or Grand and further West. My sis lives in PV and just walks to a great strip mall with antique shops and farmers markets. Her kids think Sun City is the most depressing town they have ever been to. Sun City is old and tired. It's just a town that was once special a long time ago. It's not quaint, it will never be a favorite destination for travel. All the cute little shops are gone along with a lot of restaurants and grocery stores. North of Grand those little shops are now huge MOB's. South of Grand pretty much all is gone with the exception of the homes. Not going to lose any sleep over it. Not one member of my family is clamoring to inherit my home. Money, yes. the house nope!

 

It's the whole country. To quote the late, great James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano "Shit runs downhill, money goes up. It's that simple."

 

Sun CIty West is fully unincorporated. The northwestern part of the community is included in the Dysart school district and pays school taxes. The Grand, formerly Sun City Grand is located in the City of Surprise.

 

Thank you for the clarification..

 

Someone decided to take things in their own hands and spray painted "Dust Bowl" and "Weed Farm" on the Union Hills sign. It took a couple of days but the graffiti has been removed...Sun City is looking more like the inner city these days.

 

Excellent article:
“Union Hills Golf Course draws ire from some Sun City residents
Owner plans improvements
Posted online, Wednesday, May 15, 2024
(Excerpt)
By Scott Tynes | Independent Newsmedia
Vandalism to the two entrances to the Union Hills Golf Course May 7 has brought new scrutiny to its “desolate” appearance and the dashed hopes of the neighborhood that it would be restored when it came under new ownership last year. Ownership has big plans for the property, but will need the help of its neighbors to move forward.

“This property has been in a state of deterioration for well over five years,” said Paul Schwartz, a resident who lives near the property. “The surrounding community was encouraged when it was announced last year that the property had been sold and was being taken over by new ownership. Unfortunately, almost a year later, the only thing the new owners have done is remove a dead tree off of a retaining wall and shipped in a dozen new golf carts.”

David Ashton and Jeffrey Lundgren of Swing First Golf bought the country club, 9860 W. Lindgren Ave., June 15, 2023. They also own Palmbrook Country Club, 9350 W. Greenway Road, Sun City, Coyote Lakes Golf Club, 18800 N. Coyote Lakes Parkway, in Surprise, and the Golf Club at Johnson Ranch, 30761 W. Golf Club Drive, San Tan Valley.”

Much more, online Subscriber Exclusive:
Likely in next week’s print edition delivered for free to most homes in Sun City. Photo of graffiti on entry signage.

https://www.yourvalley.net/sun-city...draws-ire-from-some-sun-city-residents,510769

 

A very good read. From what I observed, owning a country club is a very risky investment unless there is adjacent land for building homes or the course itself can be rezoned residential. (My uncle owned two golf courses) The level of membership revenue required to sustain a high level of quality and provide a reasonable ROI from a country club is extremely high. This requires either very high fees or a large number of members. My guess is the owners are hoping they can sell the course to Sun City or make some sort of open space play whereby Maricopa county steps in and uses eminent domain to break any deed restrictions there might be, rezones this course as open space, and joins forces with Sun City to cough up the money. Only time will tell but it is clear the owners are in no hurry to fix the place up.

 

Dave, PLEASE tone down the anger. Thanks, John Fast

 

You are correct, I just don’t like people making statements not based in fact. You know my professional background and how facts drove any discussion. Besides I wanted to say the Dept. of Making Shite Up. Hope to catch up with you before you leave town.

 

Thank you for recognizing the discussion had become too heated.

 

Golf courses are notoriously hard to maintain without significant capital. This will become even more difficult with water restrictions. Country Clubs used to flourish because they had steep membership fees, sometimes high initiation fees, as well as many well endowed donors. Not so anymore except for the very exclusive clubs. You will note that even the expensive golf resorts call themselves "golf course" not a country club. (Example: Grayhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale.)

I hope the new owners of Union Hills and Palmbrook are able to sustain their business. If someone buys a home on a golf course, they run the risk of having the course close or become rundown. It has happened in my hometown and state. My husband's business developed residential and commercial properties, usually affordable housing developments. Nearby neighbors wanted to influence the development to their tastes and to upgrade the values of their existing houses. I recall how we made concessions to build the larger homes with garages next to the existing homes. My husband came home from a city zoning meeting once and said, "I expect next time they will want to tell us what color to paint the bathrooms." I used to think that someone was foolish to buy a home next to undeveloped property. However now I own a town home that looks out the back onto a corn field. Guess I am the foolish one after all!

 

I am not a smart man, but I do hope it is a field full of sweet corn. Run Forest Run!