Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development Corp. is trying to sell 151 acres of the former Royal Virginian Golf Course.
The potential sale of part of a former Goochland golf course is coming down to the wire, albeit two weeks later than planned.
An auction of a 151-acre portion of the old Royal Virginian Golf Course at 3016 Royal Virginia Parkway has been extended to Thursday at 3 p.m.
The seller, local nonprofit Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development Corp., launched the auction through auction house Dudley Resources on April 20 with an opening bid of $400,000 and with an original end set for May 10 at 3 p.m.
Phil Bonnie, who’s handling the auction for Dudley Resources, said last-minute interest just prior to the initial deadline prompted the extension.
“In the last 24 hours (before May 10) we got about 10 people want-ing to go to view the property and there wasn’t enough time to accommodate all of them, so we decided to go ahead and extend,” Bonnie said.
Four unidentified bidders have officially thrown their hat in the ring, according to the ticker on the Dudley website. Of those, two have been going bid-for-bid, driving up the price by $10,000 increments since May 10.
The latest bid came in at $670,000 on May 17, though that’s still below the $750,000 price tag paid by the seller in May 2022.
The nonprofit, run by Arlene Simmons, had initially planned an ambitious project for the property dubbed the Gardens of Tranquility, which would have included a memorial for those who died from COVID-19.
The group then abandoned its plans for the property and put it up for sale through a traditional listing at $1.8 million. Since then, Simmons and her group had a need to accelerate the sale process and enlisted Dudley.
The 258-acre Royal Virginian Golf Course has been shuttered since 2018. Simmons’ portion of the course sits on one side of Royal Virginian Parkway and includes the 151 acres and the course’s 3,200-square-foot former clubhouse, which has received some upgrades since Simmons’ group took ownership.
Dudley Resources’ listing describes Simmons’ side of the property as “a rare opportunity for developers and investors looking for prime real estate.”
The site is zoned A-1 and can accommodate any agricultural use, including a winery or vineyard, hops farm or brewery, or hemp farming or processing.
The listing states that the site is eligible for wetlands banking and conservation easements, potentially allowing for tax credits to be reaped.
The course’s remaining 107 acres are owned by Charlottesville businessman Justin Beights, who paid $750,000 for the entirety of the course in 2018.
Beights then shuttered the course and has since floated uses for the pastoral property, including planting trees for conservation tax credits and creating substance abuse recovery homes near a pond on the site.
Prior to Beights, the course had fallen into foreclosure in 2011.
Beights said recently he’s considering using his portion of the course to build two substance abuse recovery houses overlooking the lake. He would then lease those homes to transitional housing providers.
Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development Corp. is trying to sell 151 acres of the former Royal Virginian Golf Course.
The potential sale of part of a former Goochland golf course is coming down to the wire, albeit two weeks later than planned.
An auction of a 151-acre portion of the old Royal Virginian Golf Course at 3016 Royal Virginia Parkway has been extended to Thursday at 3 p.m.
The seller, local nonprofit Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development Corp., launched the auction through auction house Dudley Resources on April 20 with an opening bid of $400,000 and with an original end set for May 10 at 3 p.m.
Phil Bonnie, who’s handling the auction for Dudley Resources, said last-minute interest just prior to the initial deadline prompted the extension.
“In the last 24 hours (before May 10) we got about 10 people want-ing to go to view the property and there wasn’t enough time to accommodate all of them, so we decided to go ahead and extend,” Bonnie said.
Four unidentified bidders have officially thrown their hat in the ring, according to the ticker on the Dudley website. Of those, two have been going bid-for-bid, driving up the price by $10,000 increments since May 10.
The latest bid came in at $670,000 on May 17, though that’s still below the $750,000 price tag paid by the seller in May 2022.
The nonprofit, run by Arlene Simmons, had initially planned an ambitious project for the property dubbed the Gardens of Tranquility, which would have included a memorial for those who died from COVID-19.
The group then abandoned its plans for the property and put it up for sale through a traditional listing at $1.8 million. Since then, Simmons and her group had a need to accelerate the sale process and enlisted Dudley.
The 258-acre Royal Virginian Golf Course has been shuttered since 2018. Simmons’ portion of the course sits on one side of Royal Virginian Parkway and includes the 151 acres and the course’s 3,200-square-foot former clubhouse, which has received some upgrades since Simmons’ group took ownership.
Dudley Resources’ listing describes Simmons’ side of the property as “a rare opportunity for developers and investors looking for prime real estate.”
The site is zoned A-1 and can accommodate any agricultural use, including a winery or vineyard, hops farm or brewery, or hemp farming or processing.
The listing states that the site is eligible for wetlands banking and conservation easements, potentially allowing for tax credits to be reaped.
The course’s remaining 107 acres are owned by Charlottesville businessman Justin Beights, who paid $750,000 for the entirety of the course in 2018.
Beights then shuttered the course and has since floated uses for the pastoral property, including planting trees for conservation tax credits and creating substance abuse recovery homes near a pond on the site.
Prior to Beights, the course had fallen into foreclosure in 2011.
Beights said recently he’s considering using his portion of the course to build two substance abuse recovery houses overlooking the lake. He would then lease those homes to transitional housing providers.
Wish someone would just make it a golf course again.
I’m not surprised that this project by Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development never succeeded, having provided a small donation to this group for a daycare center at the former St. Michael’s school that closed after less than a year – no explanation from either St.Michael’s or Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development.
Any charity that has been around since 1999 has never filed a true 990 form (only 990-N cause they claim to have no assets and their income is under $50k a year (through their 2019 filing) but can purchase a property for $750K just might have some pending problems.
While having a substance abuse facility in the midst of upscale residential communities may be just what the doctor ordered, I’m not too sure it would be the preferred choice of local homeowners. Of course, I live in a 60 year old condo, so my real estate acumen may leave something to be desired.
It’s 151 acres (not including the remaining 107 acres) in the middle of nowhere…
You are dead on Steve, I have friends who live in Manakin Sabot, and no way would they want a rehab center in their back yard. When their (Manakin) kids go to rehab, they certainly don’t want the neighbors to see their kid at the rehab next door. Pure NIMBY.