Blackthorne Estates residents weigh in on upcoming Penn Township golf course vote

Maureen Brusca and her husband hoped to retire on a golf course when they moved to Penn Township’s Blackthorne Estates community five years ago.

Now, that dream is in jeopardy.

The clubhouse for the community’s unfinished 18-hole golf course — Club at Blackthorne — has been closed to the community since November 2022, according to a lawsuit filed by the township in May against the clubhouse, golf course, Blackthorne Investors and Bedrock Developers.

The lawsuit states that the clubhouse — which used to house a pro shop, restrooms and social gathering space for golfers — instead has been run as a “private event and wedding venue facility” since November 2022.

David Fuchs, lawyer for the ownership of the Club at Blackthorne, did not respond to a request for comment.

The course has been closed to the public this season, but owner Bob Vucelich — who is also a Blackthorne developer and resident — has maintained the links for residents to use within specific windows of time. Without an operations center, however, he will not be able to maintain the course much longer, he said.

“We want a permanent resolution to this. We want to be in that building. We’ve always wanted to be in that building,” Vucelich said during a township meeting last week. “I don’t know how much more I can take. I’ve been funding this golf course all year on my dime, and I can’t go any further.”

Township commissioners will vote Wednesday on allowing Vucelich and his company, Bedrock Developers, to build a new golf operations facility in the Blackthorne community near Kapalua Lane.

“I’d love to be in (the clubhouse), but the fact remains, if we can’t get in that building, we need a home to operate,” Vucelich said at the meeting. “If we don’t have a home to operate, this course is going to be out of business.”

Although Brusca would prefer the golf course to operate out of the original clubhouse space, she is in favor of the new facility for the sake of keeping the links up and running.

If the course shuts down, it could mean a decrease in Blackthorne Estates’ property values, Brusca said.

“I don’t want to lose value in my home,” she said. “We worked all our lives for this.”

But not all residents are pleased with Vucelich’s proposal.

Owais Rahim, resident of Kapalua Lane, is concerned about the traffic that could be drawn to the area because of a new facility, which was not discussed at the time he purchased his home.

“I realize the importance of the golf course to the community. Everyone is concerned about their house prices depreciating. So am I,” Rahim said during last week’s township meeting. “Unfortunately, the few owners on Kapalua will be affected either way.”

Paul Sabot said a new facility would be “a real impediment” on Kapalua Lane residents.

“Why are we here? Why are we not just trying to get (the clubhouse) to sell?” said Sabot, who moved to Kapalua Lane less than a year ago.

Rachael Moore falls “somewhere in the middle” on the issue.

Moore moved to Kapalua Lane in March seeking a “slower pace” lifestyle. Although the golf course was a key reason for moving to the neighborhood, Moore is skeptical because of the lack of information provided about the proposed golf facility.

According to Moore, Vucelich was unable to provide Kapalua Lane residents with an artist rendering of the proposed facility or a timeline for the project. She said she has “no reason to believe that something can’t be worked out” between Vucelich and the clubhouse owner.

“We want the golf course,” Moore said, “but we also won’t be bullied with scare tactics into thinking that if Bob won’t continue with the golf course at this instant, this is it.”

David Reese is most concerned about what will happen to Blackthorne’s homes and residents if the golf course is not able to open to the public again.

“If (Vucelich) stops cutting the grass, we’re going to have a mess, and he’s basically said at the end of this year, he’s done,” said Reese, who has lived on Blackthorne Drive since 2016.

Jacqueline Cortese mirrored this sentiment.

“As homeowners, we’re concerned that we paid a premium to move into this community,” said Cortese, who has lived on Blackthorne Drive with her husband, John, for three years. “Who wants to move into a community and overlook a field of weeds?”

Regardless of how the township votes Wednesday, Brusca said the tension this conflict has created among Blackthorne residents needs to come to an end.

“We wanted to retire on a golf course. That’s why people move here — because they love the golf course life,” Brusca said. “Basically, we just want our community back together. We want to be one happy family in Blackthorne, and, unfortunately, this is kind of pitting neighbors against neighbors, friends against friends, and that’s not good.”