Where should the Covenant Club be located?
Ball fields? Osuna? Golf and tennis campus?
After the formation of Health Club Steering Committee in January 2014, they set about to determine the feasibility of location, amenities and financing. As for location, all HOA community-owned assets were considered prior to any community vote, specifically: the ball fields, Richardson Field, Osuna, Arroyo as well as the golf and tennis campus.
The Health Club Steering Committee examined these sites from January – August 2014. The criteria used in selecting the most suitable site were:
In August 2014, the Health Club Steering Committee recommended that the new Covenant Club facilities be located on the golf and tennis campus, between the Players Club and the Tennis Facility. Why did they choose the golf and tennis campus?
The Health Club Steering Committee's decision was presented to Association Board in October 2014, which they approved and sent for a community-wide vote.
In November 2014, the community-wide vote was held on whether or not this specific location “on RSF Association owned land between the RSF Golf Club’s Player’s Clubhouse and the RSF Tennis Club” was acceptable and should the Association spend additional funds on further feasibility studies. The vote passed.
After the vote, the Covenant Club Committee was formed and funded to better determine feasibility. As such, it created subcommittees to study Design, Membership and Finance.
Despite the community-wide vote approving the site on the golf and tennis campus, the Design subcommittee re-opened the location debate between March and October 2015, again exploring all HOA-owned sites, including multiple areas within the golf and tennis campus. In October 2015, the Design subcommittee voted to locate the Covenant Club on the golf and tennis campus, between the Players Club and Tennis Facility. This specific location on the Golf and Tennis campus is currently being referred to as “Location A.”
After the formation of Health Club Steering Committee in January 2014, they set about to determine the feasibility of location, amenities and financing. As for location, all HOA community-owned assets were considered prior to any community vote, specifically: the ball fields, Richardson Field, Osuna, Arroyo as well as the golf and tennis campus.
The Health Club Steering Committee examined these sites from January – August 2014. The criteria used in selecting the most suitable site were:
- To revitalize underutilized existing facilities;
- Improve sense of entry, site circulation, parking;
- Create a community campus that strengthens social ties;
- Leverage location to enhance membership levels;
- Cross utilization of all facilities;
In August 2014, the Health Club Steering Committee recommended that the new Covenant Club facilities be located on the golf and tennis campus, between the Players Club and the Tennis Facility. Why did they choose the golf and tennis campus?
- The property is owned by the Association and is already zoned correctly for such a club.
- It is centrally located within the community thus making it a perfect location for a community-centric club (10-minute walk to town, 5-minute walk to school and Community Center).
- Consultants hired to determine whether or not a club would be a benefit to the community highlighted the importance of co-locating all community assets (golf, tennis, fitness center, pool, dining) in order to maximize membership. This is also in line with national trends.
- Currently, the property is primarily being used by only 25% of HOA members who are golf club members and 10% of HOA members who are tennis club members. (There is also some overlap of these two membership groups in that they belong to both golf and tennis, making the total less than 35%). The Covenant Club was intended to be attractive to all members, not just those with golf or tennis skill sets.
The Health Club Steering Committee's decision was presented to Association Board in October 2014, which they approved and sent for a community-wide vote.
In November 2014, the community-wide vote was held on whether or not this specific location “on RSF Association owned land between the RSF Golf Club’s Player’s Clubhouse and the RSF Tennis Club” was acceptable and should the Association spend additional funds on further feasibility studies. The vote passed.
After the vote, the Covenant Club Committee was formed and funded to better determine feasibility. As such, it created subcommittees to study Design, Membership and Finance.
Despite the community-wide vote approving the site on the golf and tennis campus, the Design subcommittee re-opened the location debate between March and October 2015, again exploring all HOA-owned sites, including multiple areas within the golf and tennis campus. In October 2015, the Design subcommittee voted to locate the Covenant Club on the golf and tennis campus, between the Players Club and Tennis Facility. This specific location on the Golf and Tennis campus is currently being referred to as “Location A.”
“Location A” is the same site proposed and agreed to by:
In summary, all HOA-owned locations have been studied by numerous groups for over two years with the result of both committee study and community-wide votes being the same – locate the Covenant Club at “Location A,” which is on the golf and tennis campus between the Players Club and Tennis Facility.
But why not Osuna?
- Health Club Steering Committee vote in August 2014;
- Association Board vote in October 2014;
- Community-wide ballot in November 2014;
- ClubMark Partners (Club consultants) during the feasibility phase;
- Design subcommittee vote in October 2015;
- Original visionaries of the Covenant in 1945.
In summary, all HOA-owned locations have been studied by numerous groups for over two years with the result of both committee study and community-wide votes being the same – locate the Covenant Club at “Location A,” which is on the golf and tennis campus between the Players Club and Tennis Facility.
But why not Osuna?
- Osuna is not zoned properly for such a club. To override this zoning would require 2/3 affirmative vote from Osuna neighbors but history indicates that obtaining this level of acceptance is not possible. In 2006, the Association spent nearly two years attempting to secure such a vote to alter the zoning at Osuna to allow the installation of a park. This effort failed.
- For all Clubs to be successful co-location is paramount, as noted by consultants hired by the Golf Board in 2013. Placing the Covenant Club at this location would do nothing to aid the declining golf and tennis memberships.