Article Courtesy of The
Apopka Voice
By Reggie Connell
Published August 15, 2021
|
The ongoing, and seemingly never-ending drama of the Rock Springs Ridge Golf
Course took yet another unexpected turn this week as the RSR Homeowners
Association Board entertained a new option for purchasing its closed golf course
– the sale of 51 acres on Kelly Park Road owned by the HOA. The sale of the land
would presumably allow the HOA to purchase the golf course property from the
Golf Group.
That is in sharp
contrast to where things stood at the last City Council
meeting when RSR HOA President Gary McSweeney said this
during public comments:
“We had a meeting today with the Golf Group developer and
owner of the golf course lands,” said McSweeney. “The HOA
and that group put together a declaration of intent. It’s a
7-point document that outlines our understanding of what our
agreement is. Based upon your [City Council] review, we will
react to that and to give you confidence in the majority
agreement of the residents… we’re prepared to rent out the
Amphitheater, and in one evening have you [Mayor Bryan
Nelson] speak, and have tables to sign up. It will be a hub
of activity.”
“You won’t have to rent it,” said Nelson. “During the week,
we’re fine. You tell me when. The sooner the better.” |
|
|
“I think the residents will be very favorable to this agreement,” said
McSweeney. “It is what it is. If there are any changes, we’re all here to
work together. And I have to say that this has been a long-time issue with
RSR and the City, and even with the developer. It’s a three-way partnership
to make it work. And much of it, if not all of it, has to do with the mayor.
He gave us an opportunity to voice ourselves… to voice even our opposition
to what is being proposed in an effort to get to the bottom of every major
aspect of this so that we are comfortable and the Golf Group is comfortable.
And that’s a hard thing to do. It’s a real tribute to Apopka… to the
leadership to let that happen.”
A declaration of intent, superlatives for Nelson and the City of Apopka, a
meeting back at the Amphitheater… it all seemed to finally be falling into
place. But then, Lucy pulled the football away just as Charlie Brown was
about to kick that short field goal.
And it wasn’t that long ago when Nelson too was speaking in superlatives to
a large crowd of RSR residents at the Amphitheater in April.
“As you all know, I got elected three years ago,” Nelson said. “And ever
since then, we’ve been trying to set up an arrangement to get Dello Russo
out of Rock Springs Ridge.”
It was music to their ears, and they cheered wildly.
“But if you don’t have a willing buyer and a willing seller, you can’t make
it work.”
Truer words were never spoken, only it turns out the unwilling party was the
buyer and not the seller.
It all made for a frustrating backdrop for Nelson and the rest of the City
Council at their August 4th meeting when Nelson announced RSR’s intent to
travel down this unexpected path, but also to open a dialog about a possible
loan agreement with the City.
“It’s an ever-moving target,” said Nelson of his dealings with the Rock
Springs Ridge HOA. “They’re wanting to get us (the City) engaged in some
kind of loan program… and I can say as mayor and under council from our
attorney [City Attorney Michael Rodriguez], we’re not loaning anybody any
money. They are a private entity… so that’s up to the RSR residents.
Whatever deal they want, that’s for them to decide. If we can facilitate it,
okay, but we’re not going to be on the hook for any kind of loan or bond
program.”
Commissioner Diane Velazquez has been a skeptic of this deal from its
outset, and the turn of events Nelson was reporting did nothing to change
her mind.
“We’ve spent the last 3-4 months talking about this land swap, and then
literally overnight there are signs all over RSR about selling a parcel of
land to buy the golf course… and at the last Council meeting, I did ask the
HOA president to send a letter to the residents… so now he’s done sort of a
switch… so are we still doing the land swap or are we not doing the land
swap?”
“Commissioner, your guess is as good as mine,” said Nelson. “I don’t know. I
wish I had a good answer for you. The ball keeps moving. I inform you when I
know something… but every meeting I have with these folks, something
changes. It’s just the way it is.”
Nelson was open to walking away from the deal with RSR, but also brought up
the idea of selling the properties on Harmon Road that was going to be a
part of the three-way land swap outright to the Golf Group (owners of the
RSR Golf Course).
“If the Council is of the mind not to do it, that’s completely fine with
me,” he said. “I would be completely comfortable if we take a vote and the
will of the Council is to sell the property to the Golf Group if that’s what
you want to do.”
“My concern is now the Golf Group can say ‘we want to buy the two pieces of
property now being assessed at $2.4 million’, but not swap the property for
the golf course,” said Velazquez.
“None of this is set in stone,” Nelson said. “Nothing has been determined.”
“My concern is when we want to dispose of an asset, we have consistently put
it out to bid,” said Velazquez. “So what I want from us is [the City]
consistency in how we dispose of our assets.”
Commissioner Kyle Becker agreed with the consistency in selling properties
that Velazquez referenced.
“I think it would have to follow the same model as the Sandpiper property,”
he said. “We declared Sandpiper as surplus. We did the bid process first. We
didn’t like it, because we didn’t get the appraised value back, and then we
put a for sale sign on the property, got offers above the appraised value,
and then we got to pick and choose from the proposed buyers what their
concept was for that property. We would have to do with this property –
declare it surplus… and if we did the bid process, we would still have to
put a for sale sign on that property too, because $2.4 million is the floor
that we would accept. Not necessarily what the market will bear with
multiple bids on that property. It could be more valuable than what the
appraised value is.”
“Whatever we do, we are going to do as a Council, as far as disposing of the
land,” said Nelson. “I am completely comfortable with whatever you want to
do and however you want to do it. As the ever-changing saga of RSR moves
along, I bring it to your attention. That’s all I can do. So yes I’m
negotiating as your mayor, but I’m not negotiating as the final arbiter of
the decision.”
But this was clearly a last-straw moment for Velazquez.
“Since the RSR Homeowners Association Board has said it was going in a
different direction, we [the City] should officially step away from it and
have no more dealings or meetings with them. Either we are in, or we are
out… and I feel that the City should cease and desist. We are no longer
negotiating. So for me, Harmon is off the table. Let’s end the land swap
option.”
Commissioner Alexander Smith was also at a place to either end the
relationship with RSR, or give them a deadline to decide.
“I just wonder how long are we going to kick the can down the road? I’m sure
this is costing somebody money and time… so how long are we going to kick it
down the road? Either we need to cease and desist or give them a timeframe
to make a decision.”
“I think the struggle is ever since the Amphitheater meeting [in April],
people approach us nonstop,” said Becker. “They think there’s been some… and
I’ll make the point clear, we haven’t taken any action. The only city-owned
asset in the mix as it stands right now is the Harmon Road property, and
that’s a valuable piece of soil… so I want to make sure we get all that we
can get for that property. How that all plays out with the residents in RSR…
I guess that’s a discussion for a different day. But if they are going into
a private interest, all the better for us.”
But Nelson pushed back on the idea that he originated the deal between the
City, RSR, and the Golf Group.
“I’ll go back… We’re not here because I solicited this three-way land swap.
It never was nor would it ever be my intention to do a three-way land swap
with anybody. That’s not what we do.”
|