SARASOTA, FLORIDA, July 12th, 2016 – Future property developments and existing communities on the Moccasin Wallow road corridor in Palmetto just got one strong peg by which to anchor their growth in the years ahead. A new owner, the Zelnik family of Valrico, Florida and Bronx, New York, in June 2016 announced its purchase and plans for Imperial Lakes Golf Club, one of the dominant properties in this East Manatee area.
The Zelniks immediately rebranded the 58-acre, 7,019 yard course at 9680 Buffalo Road as the Moccasin Wallow Golf Club. They also fondly nicknamed it as “The MOC” in outlining their vision for the Ted McAnlis-designed layout. The new owners’ plans have allayed fears of residents around the course that the property will be redeveloped like some local golf courses that hibernated and were eventually taken over by residences.
Noah Zelnik, who will co-manage The MOC along with other members of his family, said they will build upon the Imperial Lakes’ legacy left by the former owners, the Cueto family, who ran the golf club for over two decades. Aimed at an October 2016 reopening, the course is currently undergoing a major makeover, including the reconstruction of collars, fairways, and greens, as well as irrigation improvements.
Himself a veteran of the PGA Tour as a player and a caddie, Noah said they are reversing the Imperial Lakes’ nines and restore play flow in The MOC to the original route that Ted McAnlis designed. From the back nine, golfers will thus have easier access to the clubhouse and its facilities, he explained.
The MOC’s driving range, Noah said, will have a larger tee area. As a further driving-range enhancement, floating targets resembling greens with real pins will be added in the layout’s 55-acre lake.
Noah’s father, Martin, and brother, Bryan, both architects will provide the MOC with a modern facelift which amongst other upgrades will showcase lake views and a new, well-equipped and more intimate bar/lounge restaurant. A multi-purpose room well-furnished for parties, special events, meetings, and lecture seminars will also be added to the clubhouse.
The West Florida Golf Tour, the developmental golf tour in the Tampa Bay area, will have its home course the MOC. Hence, aspiring pro golfers in the region are expected to take memberships at the club to prepare their game to the next level.
Noah, who is looking forward to relocating to the MOC neighborhood, expressed confidence on the golf course’s success with the support of its neighboring communities. He said that the more patronage the course receives, the more funds they can put back into the golf club and the more it can contribute to increasing local home values.
There are several neighborhoods around MOC which can potentially benefit from its reinvigorated operations. One is the Fairways at Imperial Lakewoods wherein there attractively priced properties in current listings of Manatee homes for sale. These available residences have asking prices between the upper $100s and high $200s, featuring floor plans ranging from 1,550 up to 2,900 square feet designed with two to four bedrooms.
Other options can be explored at Regency Oaks where current listings top at the $400s for three-bedroom homes with floor plans of about 3,200 square feet. Rarely available Mediterranean-style villas at Spanish Point are worth some interest too not only due to their endearing 1,500-square-foot layouts and attractive pricing in the upper $100s. Prospective buyers should also be on the lookout for opportunities in this community because it sits immediately west of the new delights that The MOC offers.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 7, 2019 – Property values of communities in the Sarasota-Manatee region now face lesser threat from neighborhood eyesores brought about by abandoned, foreclosed homes. Known in the real estate trade as zombie foreclosures, these properties have shrunk significantly in the region. According to an August report of ATTOM Data Solutions, abandoned […] more>>