MIDLAND, Texas — UPDATE: On Tuesday, Midland City Council annexed the entire Nueva Vista Golf Course property.
"Now we have contiguous city limits there," Lori Blong, Midland City Council, District 4, said.
Now the city can move forward on the zoning and development plans for the golf course, which are still very much up in the air.
Blong has seen some of the development plans already and does not believe the plan includes flooding precautions.
"It is not something that I intend to support because of drainage concerns that they have not completed the appropriate studies to make us comfortable," Blong said.
A meeting with zoning and some city council members is set for Aug. 16 at 3:30 p.m. to go over development plans at Nueva Vista Golf Course. The meeting is open to the public.
According to council members, the developer out of Florida will be there to present his plans for the property.
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The future of Nueva Vista Golf Course is still up in the air.
The owner of the public course wants to sell the land, possibly to home developers.
That has got neighbors in Grasslands all riled up.
On Tuesday, city council members discussed the zoning proposal and dozens of people showed up for public comment to share their thoughts on what the council should do.
“I think there are so many circumstances where new development or changing developments in our own neighborhoods bring attention to things that we might not notice," Lori Blong, Midland City Council District 4, said. "So I certainly understand their frustration and can relate.”
Blong knows what District 4 does not want. But she also knows she can not stop the golf course owner from wanting to sell his land.
“We can make sure we facilitate as much collaboration between the property owner or any potential property owner and just encourage productive conversations," Blong said.
Multiple homeowners backing up to the golf course have already decided to put their homes on the market in fear that property value in West Grasslands and Grasslands would drop.
The crowd at city council agreed, and also pointed out how one public golf course in Midland is just not enough. So what is there to do?
For one Grasslands homeowner, she wants a non-profit to come in and turn it into a park. Similar to what other cities, like Houston, have done.
“My plan is going to give everybody what they want," Autumn Winkles, Grasslands resident said. "It’s going to give the owner what he wants, it’s going to remain a golf course and it’s going to increase green space so it’s a win-win for everyone.”
For now, the council is deferring the agenda item in hopes of gaining more information from developers, neighbors and the golf course owner.
“By deferring it, we create a situation where they have time to sit down and talk,” Blong said.
As to when the council will talk about it at another meeting? It is unclear. They did not set a timeline on when the item will be put back on the agenda, but council members did mention how two weeks was not enough time to gather the information needed.