Forest Lake Country Club renovations okayed

By Dana Casadei

The Forest Lake Country Club will look quite different next summer thanks to the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees vote on Monday, September 29, in favor of proposed renovations. 

Renovations will focus primarily near the pool of the country club, with plans to replace the nearly 35-year-old retaining walls; add some seating by the pool, including artificial turfgrass, where people will be able to sit; and the addition of a pergola. The pergola’s operable roof system will allow for shade and open-air use.

“It's really the beautification of the back view of the country club,” said Andrea Bibby, director of planning, building & ordinance. Bibby also noted that their renovations have a very extensive landscape plan too.

While the entire country club, located at 1401 Club Drive, occupies over five parcels spanning 10 acres, the proposed renovations would only take place on one parcel, where the clubhouse is located.

“This is one of the final puzzle pieces of their improvement strategy,” said Jeff Klatt of Krieger Klatt Architects about the upcoming work at Forest Lake Country Club.

That improvement strategy began in 2018, with the Forest Lake Country Club investing $12 million in property renovation over the last seven years. 

Before coming to the board, Forest Lake Country Club’s plans had already been reviewed by the zoning board of appeals (ZBA) and planning commission. Both the ZBA and planning commission were in favor of the plans, with the ZBA granting approval for multiple variances that were needed for the renovations.

Due to the zoning ordinance that requires at least 75 percent of retaining walls to be screened with evergreen plantings, the country club needed a variance approved to be able to use a variety of non-evergreen plantings, such as rose bushes and shrubs, to screen the retaining walls.

Another variance that was approved will allow for the retaining walls to exceed four feet in height. The new retaining walls will be made of better material than the current ones, and will be placed in a more cohesive pathway compared to how the walls are set up right now, which Klatt called chaotic.

Klatt said there will be good horizontal buffers between the walls, with the planned landscape set to break up the walls and create a softer looking landscape. The retaining walls will be modular block in a natural stone color and texture.

The new retaining walls will make the area more walkable and in general a lot safer for people to walk through due to the removal of the cracked concrete. 

“I agree that this was definitely needed,” said trustee Neal Barnett. “You did a great job.”

Trustees Chris Kolinski and Mark Antakli, as well as township supervisor Mike McCready, echoed their excitement about the project, and said it’ll be a beautiful, and stark, comparison to what’s currently there. 

The board of trustees voted 7-0 in favor of the site plan and special land use for the country club. There were also no comments during the public hearing.