Aug 8, 2016 3 min read

After months of negotiating with the new owner of Rolling Hills Country Club, Peters Township’s council and school board are moving forward to acquire the shuttered country club and its 190 acres through eminent domain.

The board approved a resolution Monday night authorizing the condemnation of the property. Peters council, meanwhile, will hold a special meeting Aug. 15 to discuss and vote on an ordinance authorizing the use of eminent domain to acquire its portion of the land.

Neither the board or the township want to use eminent domain, but they are taking steps toward using it if an agreement cannot be worked out with Pinehurst Land Partners LLC, which purchased Rolling Hills June 28 for $8.7 million, according to documents filed with Washington County Recorder of Deeds.

F. Daniel Caste, who is listed as managing partner of Pinehurst, could not be reached for comment.

Condemnation takes place when a government seizes private property and compensates the owner at fair market value. The power of the government to do this is called eminent domain, meaning the government takes private property for public use. “We are still negotiating with the developers,” said township manager Michael Silvestri, explaining the township will vote on an ordinance at the special meeting that would allow it to proceed with condemnation proceedings if council opts to do so.

If both entities, which have an intergovernmental cooperation agreement, decide to use eminent domain, then Pinehurst Land Partners has a right to appeal the action within 30 days.

The township proposed using 93 acres at Rolling Hills for parks and other recreational purposes, including a swimming pool. The school district plans to use 97 acres for a school campus that could include a new high school.

The township said it plans to float a bond issue to finance its share of the cost, which council, not the general public, will have to approve. The school district, meanwhile, applied for PlanCon Part C funding from the state for its portion of the land. The district could be reimbursed as much as 46 percent from the state for its share of the cost, if its application is approved.

“Tonight, the board will vote on a resolution to move forward with the condemnation,” said Shelly Belcher, a district spokesperson. “With the board’s approval, the district will seek to condemn jointly with the township.”

Rolling Hills, which fronts East McMurray Road, closed in December because of declining membership. Members of Rolling Hills now belong to Souhtpointe Golf Club, which is owned by Horizon Properties, a Southpointe developer.