The Pellucid Perspective - October 2017 - 9

As is frequently the case with municipal land transactions, there is another
element to be considered. The land which The Lakes at El Segundo
occupies is owned by Chevron Oil, which operates a refinery nearby.

necessarily mean that TopGolf 's hopes are permanently dashed.
Given the slim margin of defeat and the fact that council and
mayoral elections come around frequently, plus the difficulty in
locating another affordable and feasible site in the Los Angeles
market, it may be that TopGolf will refine its offer and hope
that new city officials will be more favorable to TopGolf 's arrival. After all, when discussions between TopGolf and the city
began in 2013, the Council lined up 3-2 in favor of TopGolf,
but before the deal could be finalized, another election voted all
3 of those in favor out of office, so theoretically the same thing
could happen in reverse the next time around.
As is frequently the case with municipal land transactions,
there is another element to be considered. The land which The
Lakes at El Segundo occupies is owned by Chevron Oil, which
operates a refinery nearby. As part of its lease of the property
to the city, Chevron stipulated that the land would be used for
recreational purposes, ideally a golf course. Some participants

DISCOV ER

in the debate over TopGolf 's bid posed the question of what
would happen to the property if, after several years of operation
failed to meet TopGolf 's expectations and the facility closed,
what would the city then do with the vacant acreage. Chevron officials have reportedly insisted that the recreational use
mandate would remain, prohibiting other types of commercial,
industrial or residential development.
The other element, which also surfaces in most municipal
golf discussions, is that municipal golf is in many ways no different than parks, tennis courts, bike paths or other forms of
municipally supported recreation. In the local Daily Breeze
newspaper, El Segundo Mayor Suzanne Fuentes said, "There
is no Recreation and Parks facility in El Segundo that pays for
itself. They're all big money losers, but that's because that's a
service we provide."
For now, at least, it appears that golf at The Lakes will continue to be a service that El Segundo provides.
n

THE TROON EXPERIENCE

STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS FOR TODAY'S GOLF BUSINESSES.
At Troon,® we recognize that the complexities and costs of running a golf facility
have never been greater. As the leader in upscale golf course management, we also
understand the magnitude of today's opportunities-and how a better customer
experience delivers measurably superior financial results. Contact the Troon
business development department at 480.606.1000 or visit www.TroonMGT.com.

FREE GOLF APPS
DOWNLOAD FREE TROON
GPS GOLF APPS IN ITUNES
A N D G O O G L E P L AY

Clockwise from top: La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio, Texas; Indian Wells Golf Resort, Indian Wells,
California; Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii.

TGBD_Pellucid_7x5.indd
1
www
.PellucidCorp.com

10/6/17 2:46 PM
The Pellucid PersPecTive
9

http://www.troonmgt.com http://www.troon.com/index.php https://www.twitter.com/troon?lang=en http://www.PellucidcorP.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - October 2017