Chevy Chase Country Club’s expansion plans clear fairway with council approval

Chevy Chase Country Club will get a 15,000-square-foot expansion after the Glendale City Council on Tuesday granted approval of the overhaul, which club owners hope will make the venue more economically viable and help replenish diminished membership.

The council voted unanimously in favor of plans to transform the L-shaped clubhouse built in 1927 that houses a banquet hall, meeting rooms, a restaurant and bar into a U-shape building on the property’s 34-acre lot.

Membership has dwindled to about 60 people who come to play on the nine-hole golf course, while the club itself has had four owners in the past decade.

Several council members lauded the project plans because they think it will pull the club out of a downward spiral that could lead to its closure.

Councilman Dave Weaver said he’s seen various proposals during his tenure.

“I’ve been through too many different alternatives over 18 years,” he said. “Of all the rumors about subdivisions and schools and everything that might go in there, then when something like this comes along, I think wow, we finally found somebody who knew how to do it the right way.”

The club was purchased by Nick Agakanian and two other buyers who prefer to remain unidentified in 2013 and their development team has worked with city staff on plans for an upgrade since then.

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FOR THE RECORD

6/14/2017, 4:11 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the club was purchased by Nick Agakanian and Mike Kobeissi in 2013. The club was purchased by Agakanian and two other buyers who prefer to remain unidentified. Kobeissi is a real estate agent.

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Part of the project’s approval required allowing use of what’s called the precise plan of overlay design zone, which initiates a needed zoning change, which, in this case, is the proposed addition.

The overlay zone allows applicants to seek a zone change without applying for multiple individual variances, partly based on how well the finished product will fit in the neighborhood.

Members and friends of the country club packed the council chambers as well as City Hall’s lobby.

While some spoke out against the approval process because it moved too quickly, they said they were still in favor of seeing some improvements being carried out.

The Design Review Board looked at the project in January, while the Planning Commission handled its review last month. Both entities recommended approval.

In addition to a new clubhouse, four new tennis courts will be built as well as a new swimming pool.

Councilman Ara Najarian, whose children used the old swimming pool, spoke optimistically about the club and tried to reassure those with concerns.

“I’m very confident that this club will succeed,” he said. “Your troubles and concerns will melt away and you’ll be so proud and make such great use of this club that you will forget about your initial concerns and you will enjoy it the way it was meant to be enjoyed.”

The club previously was not open to the public, but after renovations, athletic facilities will be available for teams from schools and the community in golf, swimming and tennis.

The restaurant and the bar will also be open to the public.

In an effort to curb noise, representatives working on the project said the banquet hall and meeting rooms will close at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. They will close at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Project plans indicate that part of the golf course will be used for overflow parking — up to 140 spaces — which worried some residents because the vehicles might tarnish the green space.

However, representatives for the club’s owners said they don’t anticipate too many cars very often because golfing events typically end by 4 p.m., before people would start arriving for evening events at the banquet hall.