NEWS
DEALS ARE MADE ON THE GOLF COURSE, AND THESE AREA GOLF COURSES MADE DEALS TOO BY TEECE ARONIN
There’s that classic image of business deals being made on golf courses, but in the Greater Lansing region, the golf courses make deals too. Case in point: Over the course of the next decade, plans are in the works for the longclosed Waverly Golf Course to be reborn as WestPark. Northern Capital Investments bought the course from the city of Lansing in fall 2018 for $2.2 million. Once the mixed-use development is completed, WestPark is expected to include a park, housing, senior living and restaurants. The site, consisting of 120 acres, makes for substantial usable space with roughly 27 acres to be commercial, 84 residential, and up to nine designated as park space.
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A Lansing State Journal article from Nov. 9, quoted Jay Barnes of the Florida-based company Northern Capital Investments as saying, “When we made the decision to pursue the project, in our minds it was a 10-year project to build out, but we’re confident there will be steady development in the next few years.” There are other ways area golf courses are being improved and making the news, and Groesbeck Golf Course is busy in those departments as well. Named for Michigan Gov. Alex Groesbeck who was in office when the course was built, Groesbeck Golf Course opened in 1926. In 2016, reconstruction was performed on holes six and seven to allow for a drainage project, and additional tees and a water
G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY
FEBRUARY 2020
feature were included. Then, in 2018, to improve traffic f low and visibility, a new entrance was constructed off Cesar E. Chavez. The Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority took over management from Lansing Parks and Recreation on Jan. 1, 2018. Scott Keith is president and CEO of LEPFA. He told GLBM, “Golf courses naturally see some growth and development in good economic times. At Groesbeck Golf Course, we are investing in improvements to the course, improvements to the culture of customer services, and amenities that are allowing the golf course to be used more year-round and for nontraditional activities.” Then there’s the deal struck in November
