City threatens legal action in letter to golf course owner

Motorists passing by and residents living next to the former North Golf Course now see this neglected piece of property. Menifee 24/7 file photos

Under the direction of the Menifee City Council, the city attorney this week sent a letter to the owner of the Cherry Hills Golf Course, demanding action regarding the company's other property in Menifee -- the former North Golf Course.

In a letter dated March 20, Jeffrey Melching of the law firm Rutan and Tucker, LLP wrote about the City Council's desire to "explore all available options for improving the conditions on and around the North Golf Course, which has fallen into a state of blight and disrepair since its closure last year."

The letter requests an "open dialogue" with Peter Son, whose Korea-based company owns the Cherry Hills Golf Course and bought the North Golf Course from its member ownership in January 2017. Just three months later, citing declining attendance and profits, the company -- formerly known as California Golf & Art, LLC -- announced it was closing the North Course.

Son told Menifee 24/7 in March 2017 that the company was exploring its options regarding another use for the property. Also at that time, the City of Menifee issued a statement saying, in part, "The owners have only shared a 'conceptual plan' to redevelop the two properties. While the City highly encourages the owners to submit plans, there has been no formal submittal made to date to the City."

A year later, there still has been no plan submittal from the owner. Plans for re-development could require a zoning change because that area is zoned as open space. Meanwhile, the City's code enforcement department has had to issue notices for clean-up of the property, which basically is dead grass, weeds and dying shrubs.

Greg August, City Council member representing the Sun City community, said he has received numerous complaints from longtime residents who purchased prime property adjacent to the golf course and now say their property values are dropping drastically. Ruth Goulet was one of several residents who spoke out about the issue in Menifee 24/7 news articles last year.

"There are in excess of 200 homes that back up to that golf course," Goulet said. "When people bought those homes, they paid an extra $10,000 because they were on a golf course. We don't want other development there, nor do we want to see a fenced-off golf course full of weeds."

The North Golf Course was built by developer Del Webb in the early days of the Sun City retirement community more than 50 years ago. It is a shorter course than the Cherry Hills Course, which is located just to the south. Decreasing membership in the North Course due to member deaths and members moving resulted in the members selling to the Cherry Hills ownership group, believing the course would remain open for them to use.

Melching's letter to Son also references a petition, signed by 252 members of the nearby community, outlining their "serious concerns with the dilapidated state and non-maintenance of the North Golf Course." The letter requests a response from Son by March 30.

"If a consensual plan cannot be formulated, the City will be forced to examine its other options," Melching wrote in the letter.

An employee who answered the phone at Cherry Hills Golf Course on Thursday acknowledged that Son had received the letter. He said Son would be contacting Melching and that Son would contact Menifee 24/7 "soon" with a comment.

This view of the North Golf Course from a few years ago showed it in its previous condition.

The North Golf Course clubhouse, located on the north side of McCall east of Sun City Boulevard, was a popular destination.

Map shows the layout of the North Golf Course (red) in proximity to the Cherry Hills Golf Course (green).