POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) -- Poway residents are expressing concern after Stoneridge Country Club closed without notice Wednesday morning.
The club closed after voters defeated a measure Tuesday which would have rezoned the property to allow owner Michael Schlesinger to replace part of the club with 180 new condos.
One member told 10News "I want the people of Poway to realize that it’s not just about losing golf. It’s about our home values and losing our history that we’ve had here for so long.”
Her home sits directly adjacent to the course. She's concerned Schlesinger will stop maintaining the property, turning it into a major fire hazard.
Several other residents also expressed worries about vagrants setting up camps on the vacant course and that overgrowth could lead to a spread of coyotes in the area.
Those fears are stoked, the residents say, by what has happened at the Escondido Country Club, also owned by Schlesinger.
The club has gone to waste in the four years since he made the decision to close it and Poway residents worry they're about to be victims of the same fate.
Club members tell 10News there has been no communication from Stoneridge about the closure.
Many members paid their 2018 dues in advance and fear Schlesinger will not refund their money.
10News contacted a spokesperson for Schlesinger, who replied with a statement:
"We are on day 2 of the process of closing a business that has been open for 60 years. Our employees were our first concern, and now we are just beginning to figure out details. On the issue of maintenance, the property will be secured for trespass and follow all appropriate, applicable guidelines."
