News

Last Update :5/21/2019

Reston National Golf Course sold to pair of Baltimore developers

Reston National Golf Course sold to pair of Baltimore developers

Reston National's 168-acre course is about to hit the market.

Reston National's 168-acre course is about to hit the market.

KAREN GOFF

By Michael Neibauer  – Associate Editor, Washington Business Journal

May 19, 2019, 12:30am EDT 

Reston National Golf Course, the subject of a four-year legal battle over the potential for the site’s residential redevelopment, has been sold to a pair of developers who, at this time, say they don’t plan to change anything.

Weller Development Co. and War Horse Cities, both of Baltimore, have closed on the 168-acre Sunrise Valley Drive property, Weller said in a statement. RN Golf LLC, a partnership of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance and Billy Casper Golf, was the seller. The LLC put the course on the market in 2017.

Terms were not disclosed, however, a source familiar with the deal put the sale price at $23.75 million.

Mark Anstine, executive managing director of land services with Newmark Knight Frank, represented the seller.

“Billy Casper Golf has been retained to continue managing the golf course with no set plans for the property beyond that at this time,” Marc Weller, founding partner of Weller Development, said in a statement. “Both Weller Development and War Horse are focused on building relationships and working with the communities we serve and we look forward to being part of the Reston community for years to come.”

War Horse is led by Scott Plank, the former Under Armour (NYSE: UAA) executive and brother of Kevin Plank, Under Armour’s founder.

Building relationships will be key moving forward if the new ownership plans to pursue anything other than open space for the 18-hole Reston National, a public course open for nearly a half century. Rescue Reston, a group formed in 2012 to oppose any new development on area golf courses and open spaces, has already declared war. On Facebook, the group posted: "You bought a golf course and you own a golf course. Period. Indeed, the war is on."

This battle has been fought before.

In 2012, the previous Reston National owner asked Fairfax County whether the golf course could be used for anything other than golf or open space. It was told no, not without a comprehensive plan amendment, at which point the subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual turned to the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals. The BZA ruled in RN Golf’s favor, but that decision was appealed to the Fairfax County Circuit Court, which overturned it.

In 2016, lawyers for RN Golf opted not to continue the fight at the Virginia Supreme Court, though it did say it “may choose to pursue available redevelopment options in the future.” The course was placed on the market a year later.

Reston National, 11875 Sunrise Valley Drive, stretches nearly from Metro's Wiehle-Reston East station to the Reston Town Center station, scheduled to open in 2020. Given its size and Silver Line corridor location, the course offers some of the most prime, developable property in all of Northern Virginia. But its long history as open space and the sheer volume of new development nearby — Tishman Speyer's Reston Crossing, Brookfield Properties' Halley Rise, Comstock's Reston Station, Boston Properties' Reston Gateway, just to name four — has led many Reston residents to draw a line of opposition.

Reston development

Major projects are coming to Reston, all near Reston National Golf Course. Here's a taste.

The Reston Gateway project will eventually include 3.5 million square feet of mixed-use space, including the Northern Virginia hub of Fannie Mae.

On its website, Weller says it “partners with visionary investors to create large and small-scale development projects with the potential to transform cities.” Notably, Weller is the lead developer at Port Covington, a 235-acre project in Baltimore that is expected to house a future Under Armour campus.

The Reston National deal follows the 2017 sale of Hidden Creek Country Club, a 164-acre golf course on the north side of the Dulles Toll Road near Wiehle Avenue. It too, may be redeveloped, a plan that is drawing some opposition from the larger Reston community.



[ More News ]


Join NGCOA Mid-Atlantic - Great Membership Benefits!

Click to Watch the Video - Lee Coble Receives USGA Dey Award

NGCOA MA Mouns the Loss of Frank Edward Herrelko Jr.

Lee Coble Honored by USGA

Members Take Charge at Lakeside Golf Club

NGCOA Seeking Events Manager - click for info

Middle Atlantic PGA Section Announces 2023 Special Award Winners

Partner News: Better Billy Bunker Buzz

NGCOA Announces Education Highlights for Golf Business Conference 2024

The Federal Club in Glen Allen, VA seeks General Manager

Bayville GC gains Audubon certification

Cost Versus Value - They're Not the Same - Why Does it Matter?

Williamsburg National GC (36 holes) Seeks Director of Agronomy and Grounds

Accountability & Fiscal Responsibility in Club Governance

Bunkers - Do They Really Matter?

2023 NGCOA MA Annual Award Winners Press Release

NGCOA MA Annual Meeting Registration Open, The Crossvines Winery and Poolesville Golf Cousre, Wednesday, October 4th

Current Golfer Mindset and it’s impact on Facility Planning

Sagacity Golf Partners with NC GCOA

Virginia Beach Golf Trips Made Easy

Custom Williamsburg Golf Trips with Golden Horseshoe, Kingsmill & Condos

Ready to Sell?, Aerification and Prof. Jakubowski on Golf Turf and Water

For Sale: The Crossings Golf Club, Durham, NC - Hilda W. Allen Real Estate

Save the Date - October 4th, NGCOA MA Annual Meeting at Poolesville GC

Club Tax Assessments, The Concept of Value and RSM's Phil Newman on Finances

NGCOA MA / NC Summer Newsletter - click here to read

Reminder: The Latest from Golf Business Advisors!

Call for Offers - Westchester CC (FL)

Golf Acquisition Opportunities (3) - FL, PA, & NY

National Golf Day - 2023 - Outside the Box

Golf Course Acquisition Opportunity - Country Club of Otterkill (NY)

Debt - The (not so) Silent Club Killer

The Cost of Golf - Is it $ustainable?

National Golf Day Registration Open

​Private Club Governance & Management - Defining Roles

Virginia Golf Colleagues Mourn the Loss of Paul Michaelian

NCA Webinar on Your Club's Real Estate Tax Assessment

Golf Property Analysis & Valuation - 2nd Edition Now Available

Erik Larsen incorporates traditional elements into St. Johns (FL) Golf Course to Rave Reviews

Choosing the Best Management for Your Club or Golf Course

Measuring Performance, Selling Solutions, Clubs, Fraud & a Hotline, & The GPA Practice Tee

Fall Issue of Mid-Atlantic Golf Business Newsletter Joint with NC GCOA - Click Here to Read

Register for the 2022 NGCOA MA Annual Meeting, November 2

Selling in Uncertain Times - Develop a Strategy

Just Listed by Hilda W. Allen Real Estate, Inc.

Some Reponse to Why Clubs are Closed on Mondays

Save the Date NOW for Golf Business Conference 2023

Summer Issue of Mid-Atlantic Golf Business Newsletter Joint with North Carolina GCOA - Click Here to Read!

Golf Property Analysts - Private Club Planning, Golf as it was meant to be, Is It Time to Sell?

A Consumer/Culture Based Approach to Private Club Planning

Transparency at Private Clubs

The Golf Pro Crisis & Its Impact on Clubs

Golf Property Analysts - Your Club's Tax Assessment

Hilda Allen - the source for golf course sales and advising owners

NGCOA Mid-Atlantic Annual Meeting Set for Nov. 2 at Independence GC in Richmond

Fairfax County Park Authority seeks Golf Course General Manager

Announcing Facility BMP Virtual Workshop and Prize Contest

Another Beautiful Listing by Hilda Allen Real Estate!

Just Listed by Hilda Allen - The Frog GC in Georgia, a Fazio Design

National Golf Day 2022 - Information and Registration

Mattaponi Springs Golf Club in Ruther Glen, VA Seeks General Manager

Larry's Interview on TurfNet Renovation report Podcast

Golf Leagues - A Lightspeed Guide to Growing Business

Register your course for Women's Golf Day - June 7th

Download the Pellucid Presentation at the Annual Meeting

Golf Property Analysts - Time to Sell?

New Listings and Recent Sales from Hilda Allen Real Estate

Hanover Golf Club sold to unidentified local buyer

Club Master Planning - A Market Based Approach

January Abstract OtR: '21 Sol Scorecard is 6 birdies, 2 pars!

Damon DeVito Named the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Golf Leader

Golf Course Acquisition Opportunity - Maryland - For Sale By Auction

Sep Weather, Aug Util; steady, solid results against strong "20 comps"

Employee Retention Tax Credit May Save You Thousands $

Glenwood Golf Course redevelopment gets planning commission approval

Google's New "Local" Ads Provide Big Advantages to Golf Courses

The Appraisal Journal - Valuation of Private Clubs for Tax Assessments

Morning Read and Sports Illustrated Announce Editorial Partnership

Is it Time to Review Your Golf Property Tax Assessment?

 



Join Our Email List