New Jersey Golf Course Could Give Way to 145 Senior Units

A golf club in New Jersey’s Monmouth County could soon be welcoming seniors to the course — just not the senior golf tour.

A developer proposed turning the 94-year-old golf course at 54 Monmouth Road in Eatontown into a senior housing community with commercial buildings, NJ.com reported. Mayor Anthony Talerico Jr. said at a meeting earlier this month he was in talks with an attorney for the developer.

It’s not clear who owns the golf course and would be the developer for the project. The mayor did not immediately return a request for comment from The Real Deal, which could not independently determine ownership of the property.

The plan calls for up to 145 single-family homes for seniors, as well as amenities including a pool and a clubhouse. Part of the site, which runs along Route 36, would also be used to create a commercial area.

The nearly century-old golf course was designed by Warren Tillinghast and opened on the site of an old apple orchard in 1929. It spans 136 acres.

An attempt to redevelop the golf course unfolded a decade ago, when an affiliate of National Realty and Development Corporation proposed a 175-townhome, 450,000-square-foot-commercial development. A lawsuit challenged the borough’s rejection of an amendment that would’ve allowed for the commercial aspect of the development. The lawsuit was ultimately tossed and no development took place.

It’s unclear if NRDC would be involved in the discussed development this time, but the country club is not listed on the company’s website as part of its portfolio. The firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Real Deal.

The site is already zoned to allow for single-family development. A variance would be needed to permit the proposed commercial development on Route 36.

The golf course and country club remain open for the time being. General manager Robert Sheerin did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TRD.

— Holden Walter-Warner