Henderson council hears opposition to potential golf course development

The uncertain future of a shuttered golf course brought dozens of neighbors to express concerns at Tuesday’s Henderson City Council meeting.

Residents who packed into the council chambers would not be witness to a consequential vote regarding the future of their neighborhood, though. City leaders instead heard a status report about the upkeep plans for the land while officials await development.

Black Mountain Golf and Country Club closed in late November, rankling residents and leaving them with fears of unsightly developments.

“We’re all worried about what this could bring to our quaint little neighborhood,” said Keva Jordan, who said she has lived in the neighborhood for more than 11 years.

Many of Tuesday night’s attendees wore green T-shirts printed with the phrase “Save Black Mountain.” One supporter handed out stickers urging others to save the neighborhood and the golf course.

The course, which opened in 1958, went into bankruptcy in 2017. According to its website, the course’s first nine holes — dubbed the “Founders Nine” — were the third oldest in the Las Vegas Valley.

Some valley golf course closures have been met with public backlash in recent years. Henderson’s Legacy Golf Course abruptly closed in 2017 and re-opened months later. Efforts to redevelop the course were met with litigation. The Badlands golf course in Las Vegas continues to have its redevelopment efforts languish in court.

“I’ve heard loud and clear that there are many residents that would like to see Black Mountain golf course remain a golf course,” Councilman John Marz said during the meeting. “I don’t know how you’re going to do that.”

Developers had pitched the idea of preserving Black Mountain’s original nine holes while building homes over other parts of the course. There are no active plans or pending applications to develop the course, but that did not ease concerns.

“It seems this endeavor is headed for high density to a developer,” Val LaPorta told the council. “Any proposed rezoning will have significant adverse impact on the natural environment of the property of this vicinity.”

Black Mountain scheduled a neighborhood meeting on Feb. 11 to discuss its maintenance and closure plans, according to the city. That plan will then have to come back to City Council for a vote, which officials anticipate happening in March.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.