Edison Club in Clifton Park wants to submit housing plans by spring

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

The Edison Golf Club on Riverview Road in Rexford is pictured.

CLIFTON PARK — Officials at the Edison Golf Club plan to submit an official proposal to the town by April for a plan to build homes, condos and a senior living facility.

In December, the club submitted a project to the town Planning Board that calls for a downsizing of the 27-hole course to 18 holes, making room for an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse and residential housing.

The plans call for construction of 136 condos, 17 duplex buildings and 45 single-family homes.

The addition of homes would turn the Edison Club into what is known in the country club industry as a “bundle community,” a concept popular in Florida and North Carolina that lets golf club members live around the golf course.

Those who purchase homes would be expected to maintain memberships in the club.

After reviewing the project, the Planning Board recommended the plans be approved by the Town Board. Now, the club must submit an official proposal to the town for creation of a planned development district on the site, which the board must approve before construction can start.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to get legislation that will make it possible for us to move forward,” Edison Club General Manager Craig McLean said.

There will most likely be a negotiation period between the town and the club, during which project details are nailed down before the planned development district is approved, which means some aspects of the project might be changed, McLean said.

But, he added, it is important for the town and club to be on the same page.

“We’ll see how the legislation goes, and then we’ll be ready to make some tough decisions,” he said.

The club’s property comprises 287 acres, much of which is green space.

The single-family homes would be built on 10,000- and 15,000-square-foot lots.

According to plans, the duplexes would be built on lots with a minimum area of 15,000 square feet.

The current clubhouse would be turned into a 60-bed senior care facility, and according to project documents, an outside developer, SunKar, would purchase and renovate the clubhouse into the senior care facility.

Twenty of the facility’s rooms would be part of a secure memory unit, and 30 would be assisted-living rooms. The facility would also offer daycare and 24-hour care for residents. An estimated 30 full-time jobs would be created by the senior care facility.

One acre of the club’s land would be sold to the neighboring Stewart’s Shops.

Before the Town Board acts on the proposal, a public hearing must be scheduled for the project.

On Monday, Clifton Park Town Supervisor Phil Barrett said there was no timeline the town is following for the Edison Club project.

“We do not currently have a next step in the process scheduled,” he said.

A handful of Town Board members have expressed enthusiasm about the project; Councilman Jim Romano called it unique.

The club property is in the Western Clifton Park Land Conservation Plan, which focuses on preserving open land.

While the Edison Club does have a large amount of open space, there is also a business being run there — the golf course — that brings revenue to the town, Romano pointed out. That means the town will have to figure out how to protect the revenue stream and the club’s employees, while also preserving the integrity of the open space on the site if homes were built.

“My takeaway is that I’ll have to look at it differently than I would with just normal open space,” he said on Monday.

Councilwoman Amy Standaert said that, while no official plans had been submitted to the town, the project has potential.

“This is so unique and so different, and there’s a lot of interest in this particular project for everyone involved,” she said on Monday.