Golf courses · Pennsylvania
Loch Nairn Golf Club
Township buying closed golf course for park; no development plans, peer strategy confirmed. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.
Site profile5 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Retrofit in the pipeline
This site: …proposed record · all sites with thisCounty lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012
This site: -10% census-cbp · all sites with thisCounty typical rent $2,000+
This site: $2,242/mo zillow · all sites with thisRegreened
This site: …public park with walking and cycling trails record · all sites with thisPark and open space
This site: …public park with walking and cycling trails newtypes-extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Retrofit proposedWikipedia |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Regreening, proposedWikipedia |
| New uses | parkWikipedia |
| What is there now | public park with walking and cycling trailsnewtypes-extraction |
| Redeveloper | New Garden Townshipnewtypes-extraction |
Deals and debt
| Date | Event | Price | Parties | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold | $1.4M closed | New Garden Township ← the Smedley family | phillyvoice.com |
Site context
| Housing permits, Chester County (PA), 2024 | 315 units in 5+ unit buildings, 27 in 2–4, 1,187 single-family; 2023: 161 in 5+Census BPS |
|---|---|
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Market at Liberty Place (4.8 km)computed |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 1,353 establishments (-10%); 27,318 jobs (-1%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $579,006 (+3% 1 yr, +32% 5 yr); typical rent $2,242/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 11,010 vehicles a day on GAP NEWPORT PK (principal arterial, 2 lanes); 2,718 trucks; 21 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
New Garden Township purchased the 106-acre Loch Nairn Golf Club from the Smedley family for $1.425M in 2023. The site, originally built in 1979, closed at the end of 2022. The township plans to convert it into a public park with walking and cycling trails, slated to open in 2024.
Why. The strategy is 'regreen' (converting golf courses to parks), matching peer examples like Park Hill Golf Course (CO) and Fox Ridge Park (KY). The township is the developer, and the site is near Market at Liberty Place (4.8km), a built retail development.
Where it stands. Status is 'proposed' but events confirm the park is opening in 2024. No details on park features beyond trails. County housing market shows steady growth (4.6% population increase 2018–23, median rent $1,691).
For a planner
- No construction permits or zoning details provided.
- Peer conversions (all score 4.0) confirm 'regreen' is a recognized strategy.
For a developer
- No development potential identified (opportunity score 0.0).
- No housing or retail plans mentioned; focus is on passive recreation.
What we do not know yet
- No details on park design, budget beyond purchase price, or community feedback.
- Verified as 'draft'—some data may be preliminary.
Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Park Hill Golf Course, Denver, CO · Golf courses · same strategy: regreen
- Fox Ridge Park, Independence, KY · Golf courses · same strategy: regreen
- Silver Lake Country Club golf course, Cannon Township, MI · Golf courses · same strategy: regreen
- Virginia Beach National, Virginia Beach, VA · Golf courses · same strategy: regreen
Elsewhere on the web
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- already in play: under construction, approved, or sold to a developer with housing plans
- county grew 4.6% 2018–23
- median rent $1,691
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Original developer | H.C. Smedley and his sonsnewtypes-extraction |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Census division | 2 · Mid-Atlantic |
| Notes | Draft from phillyvoice.com, model-extracted, unreviewed: The Loch Nairn Golf Club, a golf course built in 1979 and closed in 2022, is being converted into a 106-acre public park with walking and cycling trails by New Garden Township. |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Timeline
- 1979 The Loch Nairn Golf Club was built in 1979 in New Garden Township, Chester County.
- 1979 Former owner H.C. Smedley built the golf course in 1979.
- 2022 The course closed at the end of 2022 and will be preserved as a 106-acre public park with walking and cycling trails.
- 2023 Natural Lands announced today the preservation of approximately 106 acres in New Garden Township, Chester County.
- 2024 The land, formerly the site of the Loch Nairn Golf Club, was purchased by the Township for use as a passive-recreation park, which is slated to open to the…
Sources
- Former Chester County golf course to be converted into public park
3 quoted sentences
Loch Nairn Golf Club
The Loch Nairn Golf Club was built in 1979 in New Garden Township, Chester County.
The course closed at the end of 2022 and will be preserved as a 106-acre public park with walking and cycling trails.
- New Garden Golf Course to Become Public Park - Natural Lands
4 quoted sentences
Loch Nairn Golf Club
Former owner H.C. Smedley built the golf course in 1979.
Natural Lands announced today the preservation of approximately 106 acres in New Garden Township, Chester County.
The land, formerly the site of the Loch Nairn Golf Club, was purchased by the Township for use as a passive-recreation park, which is slated to open to the public in 2024.
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