Westmoreland Country Club sells 65 acres, plans major revamp
Flush with $2.4 million after selling 65 acres of an unused portion of its golf course, the Westmoreland Country Club is exploring several restoration and club improvement projects, an official said Tuesday.
“The recent land sale will enable the club to make a number of major improvements to the clubhouse and continue to improve the Dick Wilson-designed golf course,” Randolph Galm, country club president, said in a statement.
Before selling the Penn Township land to Concordia of Monroeville, the club had 277 acres, including some in Murrysville, according to documents filed March 2 with the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds. The club, which has a Mellon Road address, sold land that abuts Harrison City-Export Road.
Concordia bought land that had been a nine-hole course that closed more than five years ago, said Aaron Green, the club's general manager. The club will maintain its 18-hole golf course.
Improvements club officials are considering include a renovation and expansion of the restaurant and patio space; creation of golf cart paths; renovating course bunkers, the clubhouse ballroom and meeting space; and creating a fitness center.
The land sale and planned improvements are part of a three-year capital plan to grow membership, said Green, an employee of Troon Prive of Scottsdale, Ariz., which manages club operations. Club managers will meet with its board to inform the membership of the improvement plans, Green said.
He declined to reveal membership numbers for the club, which was built in 1954. While the facility is for members, the clubhouse and grounds are open to the public for limited golf outings, weddings, corporate events and parties.
Concordia of Monroeville, a subsidiary of Concordia Lutheran Ministries of Cabot, operates a skilled care facility and rehab center in Monroeville.
The company intends to build a retirement community of 100 to 110 units and possibly a personal care facility on the property, said CEO Brian Hortert. One- and two-bedroom apartments will range from 1,000 square feet to 1,500 square feet, Hortert said.
Concordia has to develop plans and get approval from Penn Township, a process Hortert said could take a year. Construction, estimated to cost between $19 million and $25 million, could take about 14 months, Hortert said.
The purchase comes with a stipulation that Concordia can't construct a building more than four stories tall or closer than 30 feet from the country club property line. The club would not be penalized for golf balls flying into or hitting Concordia's property.
Concordia had looked at property in the region for more than a year, Hortert said. The site is relatively close to its operations in Monroeville, he noted.
“We're viewed as a workingman's retirement community. The vast majority of the retirees could live in one of our communities very comfortably,” Hortert said.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer.
