Windermere Country Club sells for $8.6 million

Former Windermere Country Club LLC owner Bryan DeCunha has sold the shuttered 155-acre club at 2710 Butler Bay Drive N., Windermere, to NYA Capital Inc. for $8.6 million.

DeCunha, who purchased the property in 2011 for $2.17 million, closed the club in 2016, citing mounting losses in profit. His plan for the land was to build 95 homes on 50 of the property’s acres, but because of an agreement struck in 1986 with the Orange County Commission and the land’s original developers, the development rights to the land belong to the county. 

After a years-long saga, which involved various lawsuits, DeCunha relented his efforts to obtain the development rights and finally sold it.

“Since the property has been closed, it made no economic sense for me to try and build an 18-hole golf course, because the cost of rebuilding the golf course would be far more than what other golf courses are on sale for,” DeCunha said. “So, the only option was to try and do some golf course land and some small portion of development that I’ve been working with the homeowners to try and get some approval for. … We were proceeding very slowly in that direction, and then a buyer came along and wanted to take over and felt they could do a better job, and I agreed. I have a lot of history with the homeowners, and a lot of it involved litigation. Some might have felt that I closed the golf course deliberately, even though the cost of running the golf course was just not financially feasible with all the irrigation systems failed, the equipment needed repairs. Millions of dollars were needed to keep the golf course going, and I had no support from the homeowners.”

NYA Capital and its president Brice Culbreth, a 2008 graduate of Olympia High School, are the real-estate and development firm that purchased the club that features an 18-hole golf course, an 11,755-square-foot clubhouse, pool facilities and tennis courts. According to public records, NYA Capital was incorporated in 2021. 

It is unclear what NYA Capital plans on doing with the club; the company doesn’t have an up-to-date website or social media presence. Attempts to contact Culbreth and the company were unsuccessful. However, DeCunha did comment on the club’s new owners.

“From my standpoint, I was just servicing a large debt with no income, so it was a good resolution in terms of somebody coming along and buying the property,” DeCunha said. “I don’t know the buyers, other than meeting them for the first time this year, but they seem genuinely interested in working with the homeowners and trying to give the homeowners what they want. … I’m out of the deal now that I’ve sold, so that’s where I sit right now, and NYA Capital is working with the homeowners to try and get some sort of plan that the homeowners can support.”

Given the property’s history under DeCunha’s ownership and the uncertainty surrounding the new owners, residents of the neighborhood have concerns about what’s next for the seemingly endless saga. 

“It’s not that we’re against development; we just want to see it done right,” said Ewa Bushee, a longtime homeowner in the neighborhood. “When it comes to the country club, though, we prefer to see someone come in and keep it as some sort of green space. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a golf course, but we don’t want to see more homes built there, because once you give up that green space, it’s gone forever.”

Ewa Bushee’s husband, David Bushee, agreed, saying he did not want to see more homes built on the property, but for a different reason. 

“I feel like if they build 90 more houses here, this neighborhood is going to get way too crowded,” he said. “We already have issues with the narrow streets and traffic down these roads. You add over 100 more cars, and it’s going to be a big issue. Plus, for us dog owners who love to get out and walk, the more traffic inside the neighborhood, the more dangerous it is.”

Stacey Khanna, a resident of more than 20 years, said she is not for building more homes because of the loss of green space, but she’s also not in favor of the revitalization of the country club. 

“I know it looks terrible right now, but I (would) much rather have it like this than how it was when the golf course was open,” Khanna said. “Golf and alcohol go together, and I remember that being a big issue for me when thinking about the golfers driving in and out of the neighborhood after playing and drinking all day. There were also some instances of rowdy behavior seeping out of the course and into the neighborhood that I remember. I (would) much rather have this eyesore than deal with that.”

Regardless of what the residents or the club’s new owners want, any development outside the current designations will have to go through Orange County and the neighborhood’s homeowners.