VINELAND (N.J.) — In about six months a complete Trout National Reserve development plan is expected at City Hall. Developers of the championship golf course expect construction to begin in 2024.
Two parts are involved in the project design process for local government approval and review. Now the public can see the relatively simple details of creating the outlying elements of the course. The course will be built on an area of approximately 280 acres in East Vineland.
The Planning Board met on July 12, and heard from the team of project managers working for the landowner NEP Real Estate of Vineland NJ Urban Renewal LLC. The current goal is to open the course by 2025.
Trout National is hidden behind walls and landscaping.
The board unanimously approved a design for four buildings and 4.5 miles perimeter walls. The walls will be mostly textured panels and extensive landscaping that will seal off the course both from sight and sound.
Michael Fralinger, project attorney, said during the hearing on Wednesday night that he expected to be back in the board within six months with an overall site plan of the entire project. You can imagine that with 281 acres and all the perimeter fencing, walls, and fences being built, it will take some time.
Approximately 280 acres are located off Hance Bridge Road and Mays Landing Road, with most of the land zoned for agricultural and woodland uses. One small area has been designated as a redevelopment zone.
The Vineland Planning Board on Wednesday night reviewed and approved a first phase site plan for Trout National _ The Reserve, a golf course proposed for East Vineland. Project attorney Michael Fralinger (left) and engineer Tim Ruga testified on features of a maintenance facility and the extensive perimeter wall system. The exhibit next to them is the site plan map. The next plan to be submitted will be for the golf course proper in about six months. Photo: Joseph P. Smith/Courier Post/USA Today Network)
The property has an industrial past, as it was a sandmine. It also has an industrial present with Northeast Precast’s private business park and its associated private business park. The property is located near Route 55 and Millville.
Fralinger stated that “we have 99.8 per cent of the site plan we need.” It’s only a matter of positioning it correctly. “We have some of the most talented experts in the world working on this project.”
The course is designed by TGR Design. This company, owned by Tiger Woods himself, has been in business for over a decade. Marsh & Associates Inc. is a specialist architectural firm. The project was announced in March.
The approval of the plan was hampered by the use of massive walls in an area where fencing as usual is the norm.
To avoid the removal of large numbers of trees, chain link fencing will be used in some wooded areas. The majority of the perimeter will be surrounded by stamped concrete walls that range in heights from 6 feet up to 8 feet and 14 feet.
Golfers’ safety is a priority, and so are their entourages.
Steven Filippone, an engineer, is a consultant on the design. He has designed golf courses for the state. He said that walls are not an option because they provide security and aesthetics.
“We’re not talking about just golfers when we say that world-class players are coming to an area like this,” Filippone explained. “They must be safe and secure.” Not only golfers come. Their family. It’s the trainer. It’s the sports management team.
The engineer said, “These are people of world-class.” If you watch the Golf Channel, or any golf tournament on TV, there is a large contingent of people who are with them. If the site is not secure, they won’t visit it.
The walls will be landscaped on both sides, in a way that is rarely seen with other types of developments.
Joe Smith is from the N.E. Joe Smith is a native of Philadelphia who moved to South Jersey in 1972. He keeps an eye on the government of South Jersey. He was a former Editor and is currently a Senior Staff Writer for The Daily Journal Vineland Courier-Post Cherry Hill and Burlington County Times.
