Sherwood files to condemn club property

This article was published Friday, February 8, 2008 in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Arkansas Section, Pages 15 & 19 written by Stacy Hudson:
LITTLE ROCK — Sherwood officials filed an application Thursday in Pulaski County Circuit Court seeking to take control of the vacant, privately owned North Hills Country Club property.
The City Council voted Jan.28 to use eminent domain to take the country club land, hoping to end a lawsuit filed by property owner Club Properties Inc. and saying the city would probably use it as a public park. City officials had wrangled over what to do about the 105-acre property since April, whenthe City Council imposed a sixmonth building moratorium on the land while it sought advice on whether it could purchase and operate the 18-hole golf course. The country club closed in May after years of declining membership.
At the time, Club Properties had an offer to sell the land to developers Ron Campbell and Roy Marple for $5.1 million, but that deal fell through when the City Council imposed the moratorium. The property owners then sued the city and the developers.
In September, the City Council voted to negotiate with Club Properties to buy the land, but nothing came of those talks.
The Thursday filing doesn’t contain a dollar figure on the property. Instead, it requests that the court decide how much the property is worth.
The city had the land appraised for $2.2 million, lower than a $3.1 million Pulaski County appraisal. City Attorney Steve Cobb had previously said Sherwood would have to pay an amount it feels the property is worth and if the landowners disagree with the offer they could challenge it in court. Neither Mayor Virginia Hillman nor Cobb returned messages left on their cell phones Thursday night.
Jim Rodgers, one of the former club’s owners, hadn’t heard about the condemnation filing Thursday evening but said it wouldn’t affect Club Properties’ lawsuit. A trial date is set for April 21. “We’ve been under the impression all along that they condemned the property since the first moratorium,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said he hopes the court will find the country club property worth at least the $5.5 million that Club Properties had the land appraised for.
In January, the city’s Planning Commission indefinitely tabled requests from Club Properties that would allow it to develop a subdivision on the property. Officials said at that time that they were worried the land couldn’t handle the storm-water runoff and additional sewage a proposed subdivision would produce. The city estimated it would cost between $2 million and $3 million to address those concerns.
Sherwood aldermen have said they would ask the city’s Public Facilities Board to seek out funding to buy the property after it was condemned. Linda Napper, who serves on the facilities board, said Thursday night that her board has not met about the property and has not yet been asked to look into funding for it. Alderman Becki Vassar, who initiated the ordinance to condemn the property, did not immediately return a call for comment.