Country club proposes trade with town

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) - The owners of a country club in Amherst are looking to trade golf courses with the town’s municipal course.

Mensch Capital partners in Amherst purchased the struggling Westwood Country Club back in March. They said Monday, that they made the purchase to prevent potential bankruptcy at the facility.

Fast forward to today and the company is now proposing a land trade to the Amherst Town Board. One that would transfer the ownership of Westwood to the town, in return for the Audubon Golf Course.

Andy Shaevel, a partner with Mensch Capital, said the plan to take over the 173-acre Audubon Golf Course would be a great way to further integrate UB with the community, but it will also help the town keep pace with place’s like Buffalo’s waterfront.

Shaevel said, “We believe that this project will provide real tax benefits for the town and probably thousands of jobs inside the community. We believe that it will provide for real parkland designations for all of these neighbors that are adjacent to the Westwood property and finally a much better golf venue for the entire community.”

A big concern Mensch Capital is keeping in mind is how the community will react to their taking over this land trade. They say they are going to do a whole lot of listening to UB, members of the community, local businesses and and property owners in the coming days.