Roanoke may soon become the owner of the Countryside Golf Club, a large, visible tract of developable land in the middle of a growing Northwest neighborhood that's one of the most racially diverse middle-income communities in the Roanoke Valley.

In 2000, the census tract that includes Countryside had a racial makeup of 50 percent black and 46 percent white. The tract had a $35,417 median household income, which is higher than the citywide figure of $30,719.

The long-term health of the city could be significantly affected by how the 140 acres of golf course land is developed. Private developers were aware the golf course was for sale, but the city had studied the site's development potential three years ago and identified it as an important strategic priority.

When the city's on-again, off-again negotiations heated up once more in recent months with the course owners, a deal was struck. The city plans to spend $4.1 million of taxpayer money to buy the property. The city council approved a $125,000 option on the property last week and the city is moving to close the purchase by November.

City leaders say it's a good deal for taxpayers, mainly because of the long-term tax revenue and other benefits that will spin off from a proper development plan they say they will pursue.

The purchase of the golf course, in fact, is just the latest move in a well-honed future land use plan that the city is carrying out.

In March, the city council approved a smaller but similar development, the mixed-use, out-of-the-ordinary Colonial Green project in Southwest Roanoke. The city had owned the 23-acre Colonial Avenue property for decades and decided to manage its development. It ended up selling the land - assessed at $2.6 million for real estate tax purposes - to the developer for $30.

The $49 million development will have about 230 units including single-family houses, condominiums and apartments - as well as some commercial uses. It is to be built over seven years and is expected to generate more than $700,000 a year in property tax revenue when completed.

In exchange for basically giving the land to the developer, the city says it will realize its goal of creating more high-density, mixed-income housing for professionals, young families and empty nesters.

The Colonial Green initiative is a model for a city plan to take over management of the few large tracts of city land that remain and then ask the private sector to submit development plans. The city then reviews them and picks the best.

Of the Countryside property, City Manager Darlene Burcham said: "It behooves us to manage it. We can control what goes there. That's the role we want to have."

The city, based on a 2002 study, said the Countryside property has development potential for more than 130 single-family homes, about 180 town homes and apartments, a neighborhood center and public/open spaces, as well as some office and commercial use.

Several private developers said the city is paying a reasonable price for the golf course and appears to be heading in a productive direction.

"I think what they're doing is a good thing," said Len Boone, one of the region's leading real estate executives. Boone said he did not make an offer on the golf course, but said it offers a large tract of developable property with maximum utilization potential based on its location and topography.

Others, however, are more skeptical of the city initiative.

Valerie Garner, a resident of the Countryside Estates subdivision, said she and some of her neighbors are concerned about the potential density of the new development.

"We don't want our property values going down," she said, adding that "everybody's so upset and worried because a lot of people just moved in their homes." Garner said she doesn't understand why the city is getting involved with the land in the first place.

"We're hoping to get some relief" from hearing more about the plans, she said.

Also, some loyal Countryside golfers lament the loss of the course, a longtime fixture beside Interstate 581.

But the golf course's time may have been limited no matter if it was sold now or not, in part because of a fragile lease on a 46-acre, Roanoke Regional Airport-owned tract that stretches across the middle of the golf course. The airport property includes a mandated aviation safety path that lines up with one of its runways.

The course owners, Meadowbrook Golf of Champions Gate, Fla., were aware that the lease, which allows for the existing golf course layout, may not be renewed when it expires in 2008. Airport Director Jacqueline Shuck said the lease has become a pesky problem because trees on the golf course grow into the safety zone and must be cut at the course owner's expense. Shuck said it's the airport's responsibility to survey the property for tree problems. She said that's become a hassle, especially under the fiscal terms of the lease. Shuck didn't disclose exact figures last week, but said the amount of annual rent the golf course owner pays the Airport Commission isn't a lot of money.

Shuck said she was preparing to recommend to the commission that the lease not be renewed, and she said city officials knew of her opinion because they sought out the information months ago.

The loss of the airport lease would force the golf course layout to be reconfigured - a significant cost for the owners.

Burcham confirmed last week that Countryside and the city were far apart on a price at the start of their negotiations several years ago, and she said the city did remind the course owners of the airport lease when their talks were renewed recently.

"We made Countryside aware of the lease, and we asked that it be taken into consideration," she said, adding that the airport land must be accounted for no matter how the course property is developed in the future.

Others involved in the negotiations said Countryside wanted about $6 million for the property several years ago.

Geary Leathers, vice president of operations for Countryside's owners, confirmed that the loss of the airport land would have required a golf course redesign. But he said that had very little impact on the negotiations with the city or the final price.

"We have had numerous parties interested in purchasing the property, but because we had continued advanced discussions with the city, we felt in the end that they were the best purchaser," he said. Countryside owners are satisfied with the negotiated purchase price, he added.

Leathers also said that no potential buyer of the property had plans to continue operation of the golf course. He said there are progressing discussions with the city about keeping the course open for some short period if the sale is finalized by the November deadline.

The $4.1 million price is about $900,000 - or 28 percent - higher than Countryside property's tax-assessed value. The city has paid more for private property, based on its price versus assessment percentage. In 2001, for instance, it paid $636,000 for two downtown warehouses that were assessed for $203,000.

Comparative purchases of golf courses are harder to find. Private developers paid $848,000 for the 147-acre former Hollyfields course on Bent Mountain in Roanoke County in 2002. But that property is more remote and lacks the availability of infrastructure and amenities of the Countryside land.

Staff writer Ray Reed

contributed to this report.