ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) -- Across the county, housing is hard to come by - but one neighborhood is fighting to keep hundreds of new homes from popping up nearby. The homes would be built at the site of the former Escondido Country Club. After years of fighting it, neighbors are trying to ramp up their fight.
"Golfing, I used to bring my grandkids down here to use the pool, and there are tennis courts back there," said Mike Slater, with the Escondido Country Club Homeowners Organization. "It was a great community."
The place went belly up years ago. A new owner closed the club, with plans to build 600 homes. The Escondido Country Club Homeowners Organization has been trying to block it. The matter raised quite a stink in 2014 when the county fined the owner for slapping down five tons of raw chicken manure to keep the grass green.
At the crux of the controversy - how many homes will go on the old golf course. The developer, New Urban West Inc., is shooting for 392, in an area that allows for 600.
They're aiming to breathe life into the aging area with a new $10-million-dollar club house, a restaurant, gym and pool. They plan to set aside nearly half of the land for open spaces.
Slater says it still means stacking more people in smaller spaces.
Another group called "Renew Our Country Club, is in favor of the facelift. The issue goes before the city council later this year
