Date: Fri 22-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

golf-course-Belmoont

Full Text:

Golf Course Plans Make Their Way Through A Regulatory Review

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Professional golfer Peter Belmont is proceeding with plans to build an 18-hole

commercial golf course on 130 acres off Buttonshop Road in Botsford.

Mr Belmont, proprietor of Belmont's Ridgefield Golf Complex, said this week he

met recently with state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials

to discuss environmental and engineering aspects of the construction proposal.

Landfilling to create the golf course must meet applicable state rules, he

said. "I want everything to be done with all the rules and regulations

correct," Mr Belmont said.

John England, an environmental analyst in DEP's solid waste management unit,

said Tuesday the agency will be reviewing Mr Belmont's construction plans for

the golf course because part of the course would lie on the site of a closed

bulky waste landfill. That landfill primarily contains demolition debris,

including wood and roofing materials, plus some tree stumps, he said.

DEP officials aren't aware of any hazardous materials buried at the old

landfill, he said. Water quality there is regularly tested and test results

don't indicate that any hazardous materials are present, he said.

DEP officials will be reviewing regrading and reseeding plans for the site in

the coming weeks, Mr England said.

In terms of using the site for a golf course, it represents a "minimal,

unobtrusive, passive sort of use," he said.

Robert Gilmore of DEP's water resources unit said if the golf course diverts

more than 50,000 gallons of water daily from ponds on it for course

irrigation, it would require a water diversion permit.

Proposals such as Mr Belmont's which involve filling work typically are given

environmental reviews by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Newtown Conservation Commission members March 13 approved a wetlands

construction permit for Mr Belmont's golf course proposal. Members approved

the permit for the Par-54 project after Mr Belmont modified his plans to do

less filling work in a pond on the site than he had initially proposed.

In February, the commission had asked that less of the pond be filled in to

protect some aquatic wildlife habitat for small fish which live there, such as

sunfish and bluegills. The modified plans call for building a land bridge

across a section of a pond on the site, instead of completely filling in the

body of water.

Several acres of the 28 acres of ponds and wet areas at the site would be

filled in by the professional golfer to create the course.

Most of the ponds on the site would remain unfilled for use as irrigation

sources and for aesthetic reasons.

Mr Belmont is proposing the construction of an "executive golf course" and

golf driving range on the site which has been surface-mined by the D'Addario

Sand and Stone Company, Inc. Mr Belmont has said he has an option to buy the

land, provided that he gets all required approvals for golf course

construction.

Real estate acquisition and construction costs would put the price of the golf

course and range project at over $7 million, Mr Belmont said.

On January 4, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approved a set of

zoning amendments which would allow a commercial golf course and driving range

in the industrial zone. P&Z members said converting the surface mine into a

golf course is the best possible use for the scarred property.

Besides the approval he has gained the Conservation Commission, Mr Belmont

still needs approval from the P&Z for a site development plan.

Mr Belmont said he has been working with the United States Golf Association

(USGA) in designing the fairways and greens for the proposed golf course.

Mr Belmont said he is now having site planning done for the golf course

project. A complete site plan for the project will be presented to the P&Z, he

said. He said he expects to present the plan to the P&Z in a matter of weeks.

"I'm going to make sure I do it correctly," he said. "I wish I could start

today."

He said he expects that the golf range and most holes on the back nine would

be built initially, with the remainder of the holes built later.

All holes on the course would be Par 3 holes. The holes would range in length

from 85 yards to 250 yards. At least seven holes would have water in play.

The driving range would have 110 tees. The range would be set in an area

approximately 60 to 70 feet lower than adjacent land, minimizing neighbors'

concerns stemming from nighttime illumination of the golf range, according to

Mr Belmont.

The site of the proposed golf course is at 2-18 Buttonshop Road. It lies in

the area bounded by Buttonshop Road, South Main Street, Botsford Hill Road and

Little Brook Lane. The golf course and driving range complex would include a

5,000-square-foot golf pro shop.

Mr Belmont operates Belmont's Ridgefield Golf Range on Route 7.