Kohler eyes land swap with DNR for golf course
It would give company 4.59 acres on edge of Kohler-Andrae State Park
Hoping to overcome opposition to a golf course along Lake Michigan, Kohler Co. and the Department of Natural Resources have struck a tentative deal to trade properties that will give Kohler ownership of a small parcel in KohlerAndrae State Park next to the planned course.
Kohler is planning to build an upscale 18-hole course on 247 acres in Sheboygan County, immediately north of the popular state park, and has eyed land currently in the park to house maintenance equipment.
On Friday, the DNR outlined details of a land swap between the agency and the company. The non-cash deal goes before the state Natural Resources
Board on Feb. 28.
Kohler has said it will initially invest $25 million for the new course and has touted the economics of the project, including more than 220 new full-time jobs. The company also operates two other high-end golfing operations in the area — Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits.
But the project has faced considerable opposition — and a lawyer representing opponents of the course expressed concerns on the swap.
Many nearby property owners believe the course will upend the rural character of the area.
Also conservation groups have expressed concerns, including the impact on birds that use the shoreline as a migration path. About half of the forest canopy is expected to be lost to fairways, tees and greens.
Kohler had earlier sought an easement to the property for its maintenance equipment, but eventually the two sides settled on a land swap, said Douglas J. Haag, a division administrator for the DNR.
DNR documents show the deal gives Kohler 4.59 acres on the northern edge of park. The land is valued at $59,700, according to independent appraisals.
Kohler would also get an easement to the main entrance road to the park and other land on which it would build a road leading to a maintenance building. The easement of 1.88 acres is valued $9,400.
In return, Kohler is handing over 9.5 acres to the DNR on the western edge of the park, The land is valued at $295,000.
Also, Kohler will add a third lane leading into the state park and will pay for construction of a pair or electronic kiosks that are expected to reduce congestion at the park entrance for those who have park stickers.
Haag said Kohler recently bought the property, which includes a home and outbuildings. The DNR plans to use the residence for summer housing and the other buildings for storage.
“This is a good deal for the department; this is a good deal for the state,” Haag said.
But an attorney for a group opposed to the course questioned the deal.
“It’s a bad precedent when a developer comes calling, that the DNR shuffles pieces of state parks around,” said Christa O. Westerberg of Madison.
“It’s not like your playing Tetris. These are public resources we are talking about.”
Westerberg, who represents the Friends of the Black River Forest, the opposition group, said that timing of the deal also raises questions because the DNR has not yet completed all reviews of the project. The agency has approved a permit to allow the company to destroy 3.69 acres of wetlands for the course, but still needs other DNR approvals.
The project has been closely watched in political circles for how the DNR handles its reviews. Kohler Chairman Herbert V. Kohler Jr. is one of Wisconsin’s wealthiest residents and a financial supporter of Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
The park was created, in part, with a land donation from the Kohler family. Other land for the park was funded with financing from the federal government.
In 1984, Kohler made a similar request for a road easement on the north side of the park.
At the time, the DNR rejected the request because of federal restrictions on such transactions. In this case, Kohler is agreeing to replace the land it would be getting.
Haag said land swaps are allowed under federal rules.
In a statement, Dirk Willis, group director of Kohler’s hospitality and real estate group, said the agreement represents a “win-win” that benefits the park and allows the company to keep moving ahead with its plans.
The company had once said it planned to begin construction this year and open the course in 2020. The company said Friday it has no construction timetable because regulatory reviews have not been completed.