Plans to turn the Winnapaug Country Club into something bigger and more profitable have once again found themselves in the rough.
The owner and would-be developer of the 120-acre golf course, Winn Properties, has long wanted to do something more with it. But Winn’s redevelopment plans have repeatedly failed to win approval from town planners.
“It’s an environmentally sensitive area around Winnapaug pond; there were concerns about traffic; and there was concern about on-site wastewater treatment,” summed up Jean Gagnier, a member of the town planning board.
Winnapaug is Westerly’s only golf course. Laid out in the 1920s by famed golf course designer Donald Ross, the course sits on prime real estate, with breathtaking waterfront views of Winnapaug Pond and Block Island Sound.
Although it is billed as a country club, it’s a public course, open to all. No hefty membership fees required.
Twice now, Westerly’s Planning Board has rejected plans to reimagine the place.
First, there was a 2022 proposal to turn it into a luxury resort, complete with a new clubhouse, a five-star- hotel, a banquet hall, and worker housing. Westerly’s planning board said no, citing environmental concerns.
So the owner came back with a proposal to build an expansive new housing complex instead. The project included 90 new buildings spread across 10 acres of the site, making room for some 2,300 new apartments. And here’s the kicker: 690 of the units would be deeded as affordable housing.
The new proposal took advantage of the state’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, which streamlines the approval process if less than 10% of a community’s residences qualifies as affordable.
Westerly is currently hundreds of units short of the state’s 10% goal for affordable housing. This one project would have closed the gap.
Town officials were so horrified by the proposed housing estate, some tried to revive the resort idea as a more palatable alternative. At least, they argued, the golf course would still remain largely intact.
In the end, the Planning Board rejected both ideas, citing environmental concerns.
The developer appealed to the Washington County Superior Court. Last month, the court ruled in favor of the town, insisting “the Planning Board’s decision was supported by competent evidence.”
Developer Nick Skola, who co-owns Winn Properties with his wife Jill, did not return phone calls requesting comment.
Meanwhile, the homeowner’s group formed in response to the golf course issue, celebrated the court ruling as a win for Westerly.
“This was not a good proposal,” said Ed Rossomando. “It might have been a good proposal in Miami. But in Westerly Rhode Island, no.”
Rossomando is one of the leaders of Keep Westerly Green, an advocacy group dedicated to “preserving open space and maintaining the character of Westerly.” His home sits right across from the 13th hole, where the putting green is just a few feet from the shoreline.
“This doesn’t mean the whole issue of affordable housing is over,” he said. “There are many other areas of Westerly that are much better suited to affordable housing.”
