Walnut Hills has been a landmark in Meridian Township for 95 years, but after months of legal issues, the course still isn't open.
Today, a spokesman for owner Scott Weaver said not to worry, it should be open this weekend.
"They are working right now with other owners on a deal to open the golf course," explained Walnut Hills' s Senior Events Planner, Judy Hankerd. "We are not sure if that will be semi-private, private or open to the public, but we will have golf this year at Walnut Hills ."
This year. But, what about next? The golf course sits as a backyard to several homes on Skyline Drive. And, the President of the Neighborhood Association, Lanita Campbell, told News Ten they'd like their voices heard.
"If we can get you know some things taken care of that meet our satisfaction .... We're not stubborn, we see the changes coming, but we'd like to have a say in it too," Campbell explained.
She said after living in the neighborhood for 32 years, she's got a number of concerns.
"We have a lot of wetland in this, on the golf course, and maintaining that we keep the trees, the large trees that we have," she said. "We heard that it could be condos and we'd really like to have a say in what for zoning, for light abatement."
And, if the site does become housing ...
"They're allowed to put up to 3 houses per acre, that gives us what 3 times - almost 400, 500 houses in here," Campbell explained. "And then, you know, put a child per house, that's 400, 500 kids into the school system."
Plus, she said, the view is hard to beat.
"It, it will be hard. It'll be very hard," she added.
The event staff said weddings, golf outings and other special events will go on as planned.
Schafer Development out of Farmington Hills wants to buy the golf course. But, that's being held up by foreclosure hearings.
The Meridian Township Manager, Frank Walsh, told Fox 47 News that Schafer reached out to him as well.
He said, "It'll be a sad day for the community to lose such an icon."
Walsh's office will be tracking the process.
He said if the sale goes through, he'll make sure the neighborhoods are protected when it comes to concerns over noice, traffic and how many houses are put in place.
