Article Courtesy of
CLAYTODAY
By Don Coble
Published February 28, 2024
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GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Magnolia Point Golf and Country Club is quietly nestled
behind guarded gates, surrounded by a matrix of moss-draped oaks and magnolia
trees. The community is a sanctuary of solitude and affluence, where a
semi-private golf course ambles throughout the 1,000-acre development.
But hidden in
seemingly picture-perfect seclusion is chaos. The stylish,
if not privileged, setting has been disrupted by a growing
clash among residents concerning an annual Use Agreement
payment of $450,815 to the golf and country club owners for
the upkeep and accessibility to the pool and tennis courts.
Three Magnolia residents have hired a law firm to request
mediation with the Association that could signal the end of
payments to the club.
In its December newsletter, the Magnolia Residents Group
said the original Use Agreement signed in 2015 was supposed
to only last three years. The Group also contends the
Community Association hasn’t voted on extending or modifying
the agreement since. The original agreement was crafted
between the club and the board of directors. The Group
believes such an agreement violated Association rules
because the deal needed approval by at least 75% of the 975
homeowners.
“Who can argue with letting the people speak?” said one of
the three mediation signatories, Joe Chao. “Isn’t the real
question, why are a group of about 20 citizens (so far)
footing the legal bill to clarify what the Board should be
eager to put to bed?”
Since its inception, the club has
received more than $4 million in subsidies for access to the
junior Olympic swimming pool and seven clay tennis courts. |
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Some oppose the payments because the club isn’t private, many residents
don’t use the amenities and non-residents can pay a $10 fee to use the pool.
Moreover, the payments don’t include access to the golf course, and the
public has the same access to the 18-hole, 6,796-yard course, pub and
restaurant.
Magnolia Point owners Trevor and Deneen Rothfels aren’t part of the legal
wrangling between some Magnolia Residents Group and Community Association
members. But Trevor Rothfels said his club is “indirectly connected to it.”
One side is challenging how the agreement was created; the other side is
concerned about the club’s future.
Trevor Rothfels was careful not to add fodder to the dispute.
“I don’t want to put anything out there that’s going to cause even more
problems,” he said. “I can’t discuss much of this. I can tell you it’s not
MPI (Magnolia Point, Inc.), Trevor or Deneen Rothfels. It’s between several
homeowners and the HOA.”
Rothfels said he’s refurbished the pool and tennis courts since he bought
the property from Thomas Schad for $1.83 million in 2012.
Mediation is scheduled for later this month, according to Magnolia resident
and retired U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Bill Blackwell.
Both sides have tirelessly tried to gain support through its community
website and social media.
Some fear that if payments to the club end, property values could decline if
the course and its amenities are shuttered, like The Ravines Club and Lodge
in 2006 and Orange Park Country Club in 2019.
One resident posted: “My concern is that we have an operating club that adds
value and a closed club does not. If the real issue is that some folks
believe the current club is a negative force on value, that’s what we should
be discussing.”
Said resident Lou Pugliese: “The risk seems too great to ignore.”
Another said, “Our community, unlike other communities, we do not have the
standard amenities other communities have. We do not have our own tennis
courts, playgrounds, pool and clubhouse as other communities and HOA have.
Thankfully, residents of the community at the time had the foresight, and
they recognized the need. The right to use the items above makes our
community whole and protects our home values. The club has done an admirable
job supporting our community while improving the areas listed above at a far
lower price per household than the surrounding communities charge for
theirs.”
Opponents, including Blackwell and retired CPA Bob Robey, said there is no
evidence to suggest property values would drop if the club closes. He poured
through property records and determined values at Orange Park and The
Ravines initially dropped but quickly rebounded since their clubs closed. He
said the value of not paying extra fees and the fact that many residents
don’t use the amenities led to increased home values in both communities. He
created a graph that compared property values at Orange Park, The Ravines
and Magnolia Point.
“For the most part, property values have been on an upward trend, and their
prices have not been affected by the existence of any amenities in the
community,” he said. “If anything, the removal of the expense of operating
the amenities has added to the increase in sale prices of the homes in
communities that have already terminated their amenity agreements.”
For now, the Rothfels are steering clear of the fray.
“It’s causing a lot of turmoil in the community,” Trevor said. “It’s a big
mess. That’s absolutely for sure.”
Rothfels also won’t say what will happen if the Association doesn’t have to
pay the annual rental assessment.
“I can’t comment on that,” he said.
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