The golf course owners have just filed their formal application to develop homes on the property, and it has been accepted by Placer County. This, finally, is the actionable milestone to bring the community together with a strong, hopefully United, response.
The golf course committee, our legal advisors, and our board will be active with recommendations the coming days. Each of us can play a role, but United we can make a difference. This BLOG stands ready to provide the most potent response. Please stand by for action.
as always, your thoughts are welcome.
Thank you for the update. I emailed an opposition letter to Bonnie Gore.
I wouldn’t count on Supervisor Gore to oppose any development on the golf course or anywhere else. According to her 2017 California form 460/ schedule A, which is a list of monetary contributions, approximately 70% of her campaign contributions are coming from builder/developers, land use attorneys and/or trade contractors. Approximately 30% of Supervisor Gore’s 2017 campaign contributions were from Westpark MPC 5, LLC and/or West Roseville, LLC alone. Many of these are listed as contributions from individuals, but a little digging will show that these individuals are associated with Westpark developers. Seems to me it would be hard for Supervisor Gore to accept those campaign funds and subsequently vote against any proposed development.
Geeze…….
You may also consider writing letters to: Steve Pedretti, Agency Director, Leigh Chavez, Environmental Coordinator, Karin Schwab, County Counsel, Clayton Cook, Deputy County Counsel, Alex Fisch, Supervising Planner, and all Supervisors from all 5 Districts in Placer County. Thank you.
what address do we use to send the letters to the people on Deb McSherry’s list?
thank you
Developers provide money to gain political support. Homeowners elect politicians with VOTES! Our power is at the ballot box. We need to organize and make it clear that this is a ballot box issue for this community. There are almost 600 households in this community and Bonnie Gore needs to understand that she must earn our votes.
It’s also time to notify the media and inform them about Charlie Gibson and Joe Syufy’s sinister plan for our community. Their greedy development plan will destroy the golf course, negatively impact all of our property values and significantly decrease open space for our community.
What member of the current Board is prepared to lead this effort? Who is organizing the community and when? Who is contacting the media and who will be our spokesperson?
A wait and respond plan is a losing plan. The time to act is now!! This needs to be treated with the utmost urgency!!!
Jim, can you email me please at powercleanent@gmail.com ? I posted a long commit on the latest blog post and not it is gone. I am trying to figure out how this works. Thanks, Dave
Dave, I do not manage the blog and you should address your concerns to mcowners who runs the blog. Jim
The Morgan Creek Board and the Golf Course Preservation Committee are already moving forward to activate an aggressive plan for our community. If you are interested in helping with our boots on the ground effort and or all efforts on this issue, please fill out a Committee Interest form and return to Sarah at the Walerga Gate. No grass will grow under our feet on this issue. All efforts will be shared with the community in real time through this Blog and Town Sq. as well as all social media/media outlets that are appropriate.
A formal application for the development of homes on the golf course has been filed by Morgan Creek LLC. If successful, this action will result in the closure of the golf course and a significant loss in home values for every single property owner in Morgan Creek. A notice was sent on Town Square (only about 1/3 of homeowners are enrolled) and a notice sent on Morgan Creek Owners News Blog (6 comments to date).
This is the most significant development to take place in Morgan Creek since the golf course went into receivership years ago. It seems to me that this formal application warrants a mailer to each property owner explaining exactly what is happening, who is making it happen, when it will happen, what the process will be going forward, the risks that this development imposes for all homeowners and an outline of the response that the Board will be taking on behalf of the community. It would be helpful if the Board lists all meetings and actions being taken in response to this application. What are the specific actions that homeowners can take to get involved. Are there any special community meetings planned?
I would say, at this point, the majority of Morgan Creek homeowners know nothing about this proposed development and the formal application.
I am calling on the Board to break the silence and immediately alert every single homeowner of this major risk to our community and the planned response.
Announcement went out on the HOA website the day the Board found out to the community. The Golf Course Preservation Committee is on alert and all concerned residents are asked to voice their opinions and join the effort to oppose this Application. Direction will be given to the community as it becomes available. Talk to your neighbors and friends, this is not a secret.
Something does need to go out officially, in the mail, to all the homeowners. My neighbor who has lived here for four years was shocked when I told him what was going on with the golf course. He had no idea. He said “I never received anything from the HOA in the mail”. He’s a senior citizen and not signed up for email notifications or on Nextdoor. He can’t be the only one who’s out of the information-loop.
Caution, this one is Looooong, but hopefully worth reading:
To Whom it DOES concern,
THIS IS MY OPINION ONLY AND INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT VALIDATED OR PROVEN.
Believe it or don’t believe it, it’s up to you and you can do your own research, validation and form your own opinions.
Like golf, don’t like golf. Like being a gated golf course community, don’t care if we remain a gated golf course community. IT DOES MATTER!
Let me come at this issue from an easy to understand perspective, money………your money.
The average homeowner in Morgan Creek stands to potentially loose $200,000-$300,000 in equity. Let me explain.
By the way, I’m a 32 year local Real Estate Broker with a lot of designations after my name, bla, bla, bla. Point is, I know what I’m talking about and this perspective comes from that viewpoint.
I spent quite some time doing calculations, analysis and projections on our situation and here’s what I’ve come up with. More data, available upon request.
• Sold price per square foot in Morgan Creek is averaging about $318 per sqft, plus or minus.
• Price/ sqft for similar homes in Roseville is $246/ sqft. A difference of $72/ sqft.
These numbers are close for most of Roseville & Rocklin.
Now multiply that $72/ sqft, times your home’s square footage and what’s that number?
THAT NUMBER is what you stand to LOOSE, in equity, in fairly short order.
Our number is $306,000. What’s yours?
Here’s an idea, we could all just save some time, years of hassle, safety & construction “issues” and cut Charlie Gibson and Joe Syufy, a check for $250,000 each. However, they may also reject that and demand $300,000.
There’s a reason you paid what you did for the home you now own.
If this MC golf course LLC’s plan were to be approved. The loss in equity & degradation of our lifestyle, safety & community, IS WHAT YOU RISK! How fast prices adjust or how deep we can’t know, but they will adjust down fast if this plan is approved. It’s simple math.
Heaven help us if the homes built are of a lesser quality/ size OR the Real Estate market flattens or pulls back slightly, which in my opinion, will happen shortly. The builders of said properties may be forced to cut costs/ quality and prices to move their product. Ya know, like the three they can’t sell even in this crazy hot market……..….for years, on Morgan Creek Ln. Ahh the horror.
It’s kinda like….no actually like saying, take $300,000 out of my pocket and put it into their pocket. Oh, and never mind quality of life we now enjoy with privacy, quiet, beauty, nature, safety & sense of community. Let’s replace it with noise, crime, traffic and safety problems.
It really is as simple as that!
Reminds me of the movie Wall Street where Michael Douglas, a corporate raider finds and buys struggling companies, gets them for pennies, then dismantles them, selling off pieces for millions and millions, leaving destruction in his path, with no remorse, no regret, no compassion.
Think I might be exaggerating? Well, you don’t have to believe me, let’s look at the history, provided by the very LLC proposing this re-development:
#1: The construction part and this proposal is almost funny, if it weren’t so sad. At a MC Association meeting we attended @ Sierra View CC in Roseville, of note not held at Morgan Creeks GC’s, one homeowner stood and asked the question many had, “What the heck was going on with the building of those three homes at the entrance to clubhouse?”. This was on land by the way that was slated to be tennis courts for the Country Club in the original plan. You know, right next to the pool that was filled in!
That project and construction, which had large unprotected holes, high sharp concrete curbs and debris that were all a danger to our kids, pets and anyone walking near it of just 3 homes mind you, has gone on for something like 2 ½ years and is still going! Why?
They are/ were offered at a price in the mid $600K to mid $700K range. While two went into and out of escrow, per MLS none have sold. There was one pending, which is at an asking price, not selling price or concessions $725K, which would have been $244 per sqft, but it fell out of escrow! See my numbers above. It looks like they’re headed to $225 per sqft or below. Why haven’t they sold? Have you seen them?
The numbers don’t lie.
#2: The demise & destruction of a community…Sunset Whitney, (again, my opinion only, you decide). What if the same Group attempted this same strategy before? Same deal: Golf course in distress, purchased for pennies on the dollar, attempted re-development, course closed, falls into disrepair and becomes an overgrown safety hazard, homes prices decrease, etc, etc, etc. I was selling repos backing up to the overgrown mess that used to be a beautiful course, for 7 years until the city finally bought it to make it a park, upkeep of the new park of course paid by the residents of Rocklin. I played the course before and after the sale and watched this happen with a mix of anger and sadness.
#3: Same old thing @ Wildhorse GC in Davis. I heard unconfirmed rumors of others in perhaps Arizona and elsewhere in CA.
The LLC’s motto? “Show me da money”.
Another couple of things that just nag at me:
Lots in Morgan Creek have recently sold for $310K – $375K (2 backing to the course) and one sold back in 2006 for $250K. But hey, wait a minute, what if you could pick up 186 acres of some of the best, most beautiful acreage in Roseville for, say….just $2,000,000. About the price of 6-7 lots! And what if said 186 acres would cover holding costs, maybe have a decent income and you could eventually sell that property for 5 -8 times the $2M in a worse-case scenario, even if you don’t push the re-development through. Saaweeeeet
The plan all along (seemingly) is to talk Supervisors, County Planning and the community into redeveloping the land from its intended use to make tens or hundreds of millions on basically “free” land. Ohh…baby it’s the motherload, Snidely Whiplash, twirling his mustache, style. All while leaving thousands of victims of the scheme and families in their wake.
The reason you paid what you did for your home was because of the golf course and the gated, private community of consistently quality properties. The reason they were able to buy the property for $2,000,000, is because it’s a golf course (business) in distress, and was not improved, buildable, residential land.
And if they let what was intended to be a golf course redevelop/ rezone the first proposed piece, what about all the rest of the unused land? Should be a piece of cake for approval after that.
Not joking. This is the real deal….serious, that is of course if you care about your wallet, quality of life or community.
The original Morgan Creek development plan was approved by the county during the original development and DID allow for 79 additional residential units that they builders decided not to build. That’s the problem. Those additional 79 homes had already been approved for building in Morgan Creek.
Where does that appear. I haven’t seen that in any docs. Did it say they could be built on golf course property or elsewhere. Docs with specifics if you have them please.
I am curious to know what our chances are of “winning” based on the history of such disputes, based on our geopolitical and business climate, etc? What does the comparison and contrast look like at “cutting a check” vs. a fight vs. subsidizing the golf course. I, personally, and looking at losing a home value of 382K!!!
Was this customarily disclosed in the sales of most homes? I had no idea about this. I believed that I was buying into a golf course community, not a bait-and-switch community!
Thanks for your comprehensive report. One might form the opinion we should sell now ?
Amen!!!
Its my understanding we have been paying a law firm for representation and guidance regarding this matter. I think we all deserve to hear their opinion regarding our chances of winning this fight and any advice they may have ?
Please attend the July 20th, Open Board Meeting, either in person or via Zoom, the HOA Legal Team will be doing a presentation. The Formal App has been accepted by the County as an Application, but it has not gone through the rigorous process of being deemed complete, the County has 30 days from May 21st to respond to the Applicants. We are UNITED.