Kingsley Club Eyes 520-Acre Expansion, Housing Development

More than 500 acres of added land, a new driving range and clubhouse, and the potential for a sizable housing development: The new owner of the Kingsley Club is considering these as part of a potential expansion of the private golf club. Based on that vision, developers say the property could grow its tax revenue generation from a few thousand dollars per year to more than $3 million. Both the Kingsley Village Council and the Paradise Township Board will hear presentations on the project at meetings this week.

Opened in 2001 and long managed by co-founder Ed Walker, the Kingsley Club is a private 18-hole, 400-acre golf course. Designed by revered golf architect Mike Devries, the course has drawn acclaim over the years, including notices as one of the five best golf courses in Michigan by Golf Digest and one of the top 100 courses in the United States by GOLF.

Two years ago, the Kingsley Club was acquired by Escalante Golf, described on its website as “a boutique owner and operator of numerous properties across the United States.” Based in Texas, Escalante owns 22 courses in 14 states, including prestigious properties like the Golf Club of Houston (in Texas), the Jack Nicklaus-designed Country Club of the North (in Ohio), the Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks (in Colorado), and Sonoma Golf Club (in California).

“We really love the Kingsley Club, and we love that northern Michigan market,” says Caleb McCrea, director of development and capital expenditures for Escalante Golf. 

Since the acquisition, McCrea says the Kingsley Club has become popular among Escalante’s broader national membership. “There’s a lot of people in Texas and other southern states that, in the summer, are looking for places to get out of the heat for a few months,” he explains. The Kingsley Club – and northern Michigan as a whole – have proven to be strong draws for those golfers.

McCrea see “northern Michigan golf is getting a ton of attention these days,” pointing to Williamsburg’s High Pointe Golf Club as another example. That course, the first one ever designed by star golf architect Tom Doak, closed in 2008, but is in the midst of an ambitious $24 million revival, with Doak himself onboard for a redesign.

Amidst all the energy and investment around northern Michigan golf, Escalante is looking expand. McCrea tells The Ticker the company has an option to purchase a 520-acre parcel to the east and south of the existing club. (The parcel, currently owned by JKL Investments, is outlined in the photo on the right.) And while Escalante has some ideas for how that land might be used – a few more golf holes, perhaps, or a housing development to entice national Escalante members who might be interested in buying property in northern Michigan – McCrea says the company is hoping to have public feedback drive the vision.

“We don’t know yet what it’s going to be,” McCrea says of the land. “What direction it ultimately takes, that’s going to be largely up to the community.”

That public discussion is set to start this week. Escalante will be on hand for tonight’s meeting of the Kingsley Village Council and for tomorrow’s meeting of the Paradise Township Board to give presentations on what a Kingsley Club expansion could look like. Escalante has not yet submitted any formal proposal with either the village or the township, and McCrea says these meeting appearances are intended to serve as early listening sessions.

“What we're really hoping is that, over the next month or so, we’ll have a direction and a feeling from the village and the township,” McCrea says. “Does the community want this – and by that, I mean any development at all? And if so, what could it be? What scope? What size? Theoretically, it could mean additional holes. The expansion of a driving range will likely be part of the vision, because we need that anyways. Our current clubhouse is a double-wide trailer, so we’d be thinking about a new clubhouse. And there’s the opportunity to use that land for a residential community of some sort.”

“We do not really have a firm plan yet, other than that we love this club, we love this part of the state, and we think there is more opportunity here with the possibility of buying this land,” McCrea concludes. “So, we want to find out: Is this something the township and the village would want? Because if it’s a hard ‘no’ from the beginning, it’s better to know that now so we can save everybody time. We just plan on listening and answering questions as best we can.”

Doug Mansfield of Traverse City’s Mansfield Land Use Consultants is helping Escalante navigate the potential expansion. Mansfield says there are a few big question marks that Paradise Township and the Village of Kingsley would need to answer if this project was to proceed – such as water and sewer service to the property, and even a potential need to annex the land as part of the Village of Kingsley – he points to tax revenue as a reason for all parties to seriously consider a buildout.

“The tax difference is amazing, just in terms of what it could do for the community,” Mansfield says, noting that the Kingsley Club and JKL Investments parcels are currently generating just $7,450 in combined annual tax revenues for Paradise Township. A Mansfield Land Use tax analysis predicts that, “assuming a $200 million project value” for the Kingsley Club expansion, the project could eventually generate $450,000 in annual tax dollars for Paradise Township, $900,000 for the Village of Kingsley, and $1.8 million for Kingsley Schools, for a grand total of $3.15 million.

“I really think it’s a situation where everybody wins,” Mansfield says.

Tonight’s village council meeting starts at 6pm at the Kingsley Village Hall, located at 207 South Brownson Avenue. Tomorrow’s township board meeting will kick off at 6pm at the Paradise Township Hall, located at 2300 E M-113.