Washtenaw Community College Rejects Golf Course Deal

Washtenaw Community College has rejected an offer to acquire the Washtenaw Country Club in return for assuming $1.9 million in bank debts.

The 122 acre site situated between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan, dates back to 1899. Like many clubs, it has fallen on hard times recently as membership has dwindled. And that shrinking membership has made it impossible to pay off the $1.9 million in outstanding debts from a clubhouse renovation several years ago.

I hope the club can figure out how to soldier on. It’d be a shame to see that classic course turned into condos or apartment buildings. With the prime real estate, I dont’ think the bank has any incentive to negotiate a new loan deal with the club. My suggestion: get the course designated as an official historical site. That would prevent it from being used as anything other than a course, and would constitute a “poison pill” for any bank attempt to sell it to developers.