The Lakewood Country Club is requesting an amendment to its planned development district to allow for site upgrades, including enhancements to the entryway, driving range and landscaping.
The improvements include:
- a driving range safety net up to 80 feet high along Gaston Avenue;
- a below-grade parking structure with 127 spaces, stairs and elevators on the north side of the property;
- a new 8-foot screen wall along Abrams Road and Gaston Avenue;
- the removal of all Bradford pear trees and a new 6-foot perimeter fence and landscaping hedge along Abrams Road and Gaston Avenue;
- a 500-square-foot pro shop, an 80-square foot guard house and porte-cochere canopy renovations;
- an expanded golfing area in lieu of surface parking on the north side of the property;
- and new monument signs on either side of the entrance and exit along Abrams Road.
The changes will be implemented in stages, starting with the installation of the safety net, according to the zoning change application.
In September 2019, the club requested a similar amendment to install a new entrance on Gaston Avenue and revise the internal road layout, resulting in nearly 50 fewer parking spaces. The request inspired a petition, signed by almost 100 neighbors, to install sidewalks along LaVista Drive.
City code does not require sidewalks on the street because of a lack of curbs. Sidewalks that line the perimeter of the course and allow pedestrians to access homes and businesses don’t seem to be in the works anytime soon.
In a 2015 report for the Advocate, Keri Mitchell wrote, “Walking allows much more time to ponder why the City gave the club permission to build what is essentially two stories of tennis courts atop a parking garage without requiring it to construct sidewalks along its property for the good of all of its neighbors, rather than simply the few who can afford to fork over tens of thousands of dollars annually.”
