Lawsuit aims to prevent new development at Legacy Golf Club

Residents of the Grand Legacy Community Association are seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent new development of the closed Legacy Golf Club in Henderson.

The motion filed Tuesday against various trusts listed on the sales deed maintains a restriction prohibits the owners, who include Georges Maalouf and Eddie Haddad, from redeveloping the area for 50 years.

“We felt that we had no choice, but to bring this suit and this matter into court,” said Tom Sarnelli, a board member of the Grand Legacy association.

He said the association’s members don’t believe the new owners have “any plans that will benefit us in any way, shape or form.”

“The very lifestyle that our residents are used to hangs in the balance like a loose tooth,” Sarnelli said.

The motion reads in part: “Upon further information and belief, defendants have stated they have no intention on operating a golf course and their only intention is to redevelop the golf course into a housing development.”

A spokeswoman for the new owners disputed the allegations Wednesday evening.

“The owners of Par Excellence Drive Trust, LLC have reviewed the documents and disagree with the allegations of the pleadings, and look forward to presenting their position to the court,” the spokeswoman, Elizabeth Trosper, said in an email statement.

A hearing before District Judge Nancy Allf is set for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Ave., Las Vegas.

The 177-acre land is labeled under the public and semi-public category, meaning any changes to the 18-hole golf course zoning need approval from the Henderson City Council.

Homeowners in the surrounding communities are beneficiaries of the deed restriction, according to the Grand Legacy association’s attorney, Erika Pike Turner.

The complaint alleges that since closing the club on July 4, the new owners have drastically reduced watering the golf course, causing the grass to wither. Shrubs and trees also are affected, and weeds have begun to overtake the course, it states. In addition, the complaint alleges water features have begun to stagnate, creating a “public health threat.”

Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.