Local golf center could become apartments, senior living facility

Rollandia Golf Center in Sugarcreek Twp. will become a senior living facility and high-end apartments if plans are approved and a deal is signed for the property, the facility’s owner said Tuesday.

Craig Fanning, owner of the Rollandia property, said he hopes to close on the deal in January. The Sugarcreek Twp. zoning department said they’ve received plans for the development.

The Dayton Daily News first reported in August that Fanning was considering selling the land for development.

Zachary and Angela Fink, who have been leasing the facility, have the rights to continue operating the Magic Castle fun center for several years, but the executive golf course and driving range will be closed if the deal goes through.

“The golf course use is seen by many to be nuisance,” according to an application submitted by new developers.

Barry Tiffany, Sugarcreek Twp. administrator, said the castle, batting cages and mini golf will not go anywhere as new development begins. The planner and engineer company working on the development project is Bayer Becker, a multi-discipline design firm that has offices in Southerwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

“The senior living component would be a great addition to the community,” Tiffany said. “We’re looking forward to that coming.”

The application for rezoning and preliminary development plan approval was submitted on Sept. 6 on behalf of the Columbus-based Schottenstein Real Estate Group. Developers wrote in the application that the proposed housing options would “attract and serve young professionals, empty-nesters and seniors.”

Development plans include single-family detached homes targeted to empty-nesters and a multi-family rental community targeted to both empty-nesters and young professionals.

Rollandia Golf Center, which opened in 1961, is a prime property for development because it sits adjacent to the Cornerstone mixed-use development in Centerville where major retailers Costco and Cabella’s are located.