Yale Farm pulls plans for world-class golf course

NORTH CANAAN/NORFOLK — As state and local authorities were gearing up for more public hearings on the proposed, and highly controversial, Yale Farm Golf Club, the would-be developer announced it has pulled the plug on the project.

“As painful as it is to give up the fight (we came to quite enjoy it) it is the only prudent course of action,†principal investors Roland Betts and David Tewksbury, as well as property owner Slade Mead, wrote in a Notice of Withdrawal released on Monday, April 27.

The letter said that the reasons are related  to the failing economy and not to public opposition to the project.

The notice was distributed two days before a public hearing was to open before the North Canaan Inland Wetlands Commission. Permitting by that agency was the last of four approvals needed in North Canaan and Norfolk. The 780-acre Yale Farm straddles the line between the towns.

A hearing was also set to open in mid-May on a tentative determination by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to approve state and federal water-use permits.

When Betts and Tewksbury spoke with The Journal Tuesday, they said they were addened and enormously disappointed at the loss of what they envisioned as a jewel of a golf course and an asset to the area.

“The money for the project is coming from family and friends. I couldn’t put them at risk at this point,†Betts said. “It would be selfish and irresponsible.â€

Opposition moved to new levels

In the permitting stage since November 2002, the project wound its way through an obstacle course of  concerns and conflicting testimony by environmentalists, planners and nearby property owners.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal also jumped into the fray and said he planned to be in North Canaan for the May hearing. He opposed a plan by the developers to submit only an application for the golf course and said that plans for homesites must be included as well.

“This victory is huge and historic for environmental values and citizens,  preserving a pristine and precious natural treasure from dangerous development,†Blumenthal said in a statement released April 28.  

“I am delighted by the decision to do the right thing and abandon a project that  would overdevelop open space and overuse water and other resources. The Yale  Farm project would imperil wildlife and water quality, impacting present and  future generations.†   

Blumenthal said that he will oppose any future efforts to revive the plan, if the economic climate improves.

‘Collapse of America’s economy’

The Betts group said in the letter of withdrawal that they are not changing course because of the opposition to their plan, but because of the expense of developing a resort that might not succeed.

“The collapse of America’s economy doomed Yale Farm,†they said. “In short, our economic model, which was dependent on membership sales, is no longer viable... Private clubs throughout the Northeast are under enormous stress. They are losing members, cutting dues, making deals to keep existing members which I would never have thought possible, even poaching each others’ members. And still many will not survive. A new club dependent on high initiation fees is simply not a viable option today or in the foreseeable future.â€

Betts was asked if he felt that he had “dodged a bullet†because of all the delays to development.

“If the project had been approved on a normal, timely basis we would have been open about three years now, and we wouldn’t have a problem,†he said. “If we were under construction now, yes, it would be an issue.â€

Headwaters fight continues

“I wondered if the economy was going to have an impact on what they were trying to do,†said state Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64), who this year had introduced legislation that could have stopped the golf course plan in its tracks, by limiting the amount of water that could be used there. Golf courses use thousands of gallons a day to keep their greens playable.

The decision to withdraw the golf course application is a boon for the environment, she said. She will continue to pursue the headwaters protection legislation, but said that a new law will not be passed in this year’s session, which ends in June.

“No question that the permitting process had become a circus,†the developers wrote in their Notice of Withdrawal. “Sometimes amusing, sometimes informative, sometimes derisive. But in the end that circus had nothing to do with our decision to change gears.â€

In the end, it was the economy.

Still not safe from developers

“It’s been a long struggle,†said Scott Asen, an adjoining property owner and a founder of the grassroots Canaan Conservation Coalition, which has vigorously opposed the developers.

“There were two sides to it,†he added. “We pursued our beliefs and I think it came to the right place. I’m glad it’s behind us.â€

The end of the golf course plan does not mean an end to the development of the Yale Farm, however.

Slade Mead has been upfront from the beginning, even before the golf club permitting process began, about the need to sell the land. He and his two brothers have been paying taxes on the 780-acre property, which includes several homes and  is operated as a small beef farm. The Mead brothers state it is not something they can keep up with. They inherited the property from their parents, Robin and Henny Mead.

34 potential homesites

The farm is actually 17 adjoining parcels.

“In essence, my brothers and I could carve up the farm into 34 parcels, all of about 20-plus acres, and sell them off to developers,†Mead said in March 16 testimony in Hartford related to the headwater protection legislation. “In fact, four developers came to my mother’s funeral with proposals in hand.â€

As to potential future development of the property, Asen said he is very aware that it is something to watch for, but said he will not speculate on what will happen at the farm until there are plans to consider. He believes the property should be conserved, just as other large tracts around it have been, and is hopeful that can happen.

Willis noted that homes on the property will certainly use less water than a golf course would have used. But, she said, “61 luxury homes would have had a significant impact on the watertables as well.â€

“I just spoke to the Senate chair of the environment committee and we are going to look at fixing this next year.â€

Betts said his group will continue to work with the Meads.

“We are about to transition from the golf course to exploring other alternatives. Going back to gentleman farming there is not a viable option,†he said.

Calls to Wheaton Byers, also a founding member of the Canaan Conservation Coalition, were not returned by press time.

Thanks to ‘the public servants’

Although the developers said that the hearing process over the years turned into “a circus,†they also acknowledged the hard work of local volunteers and officials.

“We recognize the extraordinary time and effort committed to Yale Farm by a vast array of dedicated and highly professional public servants, paid and unpaid, at the local, state and federal levels. These men and women worked diligently at the task before them in a variety of adverse circumstances. We applaud and appreciate their patience, perseverance, objectivity and goodwill.â€

For the full text of the Notice of Withdrawal, go to The Lakeville Journal’s Web site at tcextra.com.