Bob Hydorn’s Mishandling of the Montgomery Village Golf Club

The Montgomery Village Golf Course is not owned by the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF). Instead, it is privately owned. Furthermore, its owners are making plans for its future use, and these do not to include a golf course beyond the near term. 

For forty years the residents of Montgomery Village have enjoyed this 147 acre green space. Some developed a proprietary feeling towards the golf club and even felt it was an extension of their own backyard. Bob Hydorn is one of those.

In the disposition of the golf club, Bob Hydorn as President of the MVF has a duty that extends way beyond that of a neighboring resident. His duty is to consider the impact on all Village residents. But is he doing that?

In his June 7, 2013 MV News President’s Message and Patch Blog, Bob Hydorn advocates a high rise project on the golf course and eagerly expressed willingness to trade MVF property to achieve that. He cites the 2030 Vision Report which shows a high-rise on the upper parking lot. Even worse, he seeks to exchange the MVF-owned small park and playground for other land needed to make room for the high rise. In so doing, Bob Hydorn shows an egregious willingness to disregard the interests of one group in favor of his own. Will this “other land” be well situated to further insulate Bob Hydorn’s neighborhood from the effects of the golf course development?

There are other high rise projects in the 2030 Vision Report. Just behind Whetstone, the plans for the Professional Center show a six-story office building and a four-story parking garage. Whenever MVF leadership is called out on these objectionable features, the response is always the same; the 2030 Vision Report is not a plan just a concept. Is the 2030 Vision Report a plan when it suites Bob Hydorn’s personal situation but a concept when outraged residents register objections?

I urge Bob Hydorn to stop hiding behind the skirts of the 2030 Vision Report and start giving equal attention to all residents in Montgomery Village. Leave the golf course to others.