Rezoning of former Valley Green course in Hempfield to be revisited

After tabling a vote to rezone the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club, Hempfield supervisors are expected to revisit the topic.

Rezoning of the property, which could open the door to several new homes being built in Hempfield, is on the agenda for Monday’s meeting, according to township Manager Jason Winters.

If approved, the vote would rezone the former golf course, which shuttered in December 2019 after 54 years in operation, from agricultural to suburban residential.

The zoning change was requested last month by developer Valley Green Westmoreland LLC, a partnership between Colony Holding and Shuster Homes. The group is looking to buy the property, of which 144 acres is located along Valley Green and Albrights Lake roads in Hempfield. Another 116 acres is located in neighboring Unity.

Unity supervisors this month approved the zoning change for their portion of the property.

It’s not clear how many homes could be built on the Hempfield property, but developers suggested at the Unity meeting it could be about 100. During a Hempfield meeting last month, Don Tarosky Jr., a broker from Colony Holding, said homes would cost between $350,000 and $400,000, at a minimum.

During that meeting, several people voiced concerns about runoff, traffic and developing an area surrounded by farmland. Tarosky countered that details such as stormwater management and road traffic would be handled at a later date when a land development plan is presented.

Monday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the township municipal building, at 1132 Woodward Drive.