Exclusive Duluth country club hopes to build more than two dozen members-only homes

DULUTH — Duluth’s exclusive Northland Country Club is poised to build housing and lodging near its golf course in the eastern side of the city, a for-members-only proposal.

Both the Duluth Planning Commission and City Council have signed off on rezoning to allow construction of four single-family homes and 11 duplexes, along with two bed-and-breakfast sites.

Ongoing capital expenses like replacement of the irrigation system mean the club has been evaluating best practices in country club development and growth for several years, said Tony Yung, a member of the board of directors and past president of the club.

The rezoning of about 13 acres of its 286-acre property allows it to grow if members decide to, he said. A vote hasn’t yet been scheduled.

Members-only permanent housing at private clubs in Minnesota appears to be a rare model, although some offer temporary lodging for members.

Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska is building several villas for overnight lodging for members, and Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence has offered overnight lodging for more than a decade via a guesthouse.

It was originally built for national members, said Jonathan Abbott, membership and marketing director of Windsong.

Outside Minnesota, Discovery Land Co., a U.S.-based developer, operates private residential communities and resorts globally, with communities that include golf courses in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Montana. Membership is required to own properties.

City Councilor Lynn Nephew, who is also a real estate agent, said the Northland project would increase the city’s tax base and won’t require the city to pay for maintenance of a new road to access the new construction, because the road will be private. The club likely sought the zoning change so it could have a private road, but it wasn’t necessary to build most of what the club plans, she said.

“So I look at it like a win-win,” Nephew said.

The development plan includes preservation of several acres of the 40th Avenue Creek and six acres of green space.

The city continues to grapple with a housing shortage across all markets, according to a new study it commissioned. It also found the fastest-growing demographic is seniors, highlighting the need for housing catering to older Duluthians, among other groups.

The study says the city needs more housing to allow such movement in the market.

“The slow housing growth and lower supply is keeping residents who want to move up to housing that better suits their families’ needs from doing so,” Tom Church, senior housing developer for the city of Duluth, said in a news release related to the study’s completion.

More than 500 members belong to the Congdon Park neighborhood country club, with memberships ranging between $1,600 and $7,200 annually.