Judge tells developers not to clear Grand Prairie golf course just yet

A Tarrant County judge Wednesday warned the attorneys for a Dallas-based developer not to start clearing the Great Southwest Golf Course for a planned industrial project while a property-use issue heads to trial.

Attorneys for CH Realty VII-Ascendant I Dallas 360 Global Logistics Park L.P. and Grand Prairie were arguing over a temporary restraining order when it was determined that the case should go directly to trial in June.

At issue is whether a state statute that governs the redevelopment of golf courses can be applied in this case. The law was designed to protect the value of residential property next to golf courses set for redevelopment.

The developers were initially asking the court to force the city to approve a plat that would permit them to begin construction on a four-building, 1-million-square-foot warehouse project on the nearly 164-acre golf course. It closed April 1.

“I want no bulldozers out there tomorrow taking down trees,” state District Judge Melody Wilkinson said.

The developers bought the course in late March after working with Grand Prairie for months on a replat of the property, which is east of Texas 360 between Avenues J and K. The private course opened in 1965.

About a decade later, 50 town homes were built in the Fairway Park development, about half of them backing up to the course. An additional 120 condos were built nearby. The golf course carries industrial zoning, as does land to the north and south.

Arthur Anderson, the developers’ attorney, said the state statute in question doesn’t apply because the golf course was never intended to be primarily a residential development. City staffers recommended approving the project, he said, but now the city has changed its mind.

“There was a lot of political input … by people who wanted the golf course to stay as it is,” Anderson said.

Kevin Maguire, Grand Prairie’s attorney, said the city wants to be sure it is protecting the adjacent property owners’ rights.

“It doesn’t mean they can’t do a project,” Maguire said.

The developers have offered about 90 acres as a public amenity, as well as additional land to the homeowners to create a landscape buffer.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Judge tells developers not to clear Grand Prairie golf course just yet."