Trump files lawsuit against RPV

I’d like to provide some clarification from Trump National. Our goal is to make this the country’s #1 golf facility. City council has made this impossible. We’re eager for our neighbors to enjoy this amazing showpiece in the community. Yet city council does nothing for us.
We’re the #1 course in California according to the state’s most respected golf magazines. We’re in the Top 100 in the U.S. per golf’s most respected periodical, Golf Magazine. Our Pro Shop is a perennial Top 100 Shop in America in GolfWorld Magazine. AOL named our Sunday Brunch #1 in SoCal. Zagat ranks our Cafe Pacific as Excellent.
Our Ballroom hosts more than 80 weddings a year, not including nuptials in Trumps, our small event room. Community activity is unparalleled: we hosted the Officer Simmons memorial and annually host the PV Chamber Salute to Business & Citizen of the Year. We hosted a community mixer to introduce managers to our neighbors and regularly host LAPD & LAFD fundraisers.
We host 100’s of charitable golfing and special events, and give hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly to community charities in rounds of golf, brunches, and speaking engagements.
We offer golf, dining, and special events for all of our neighbors. Each Monday we have a 3-course wine dinner. We offer entertainment 4 nights weekly and monthly opportunities for young, local talent to jam in our Jazz Expression Night through Freedom4U. We have formal wine tasting dinners 8 times/year. We change menus monthly to offer creative options for our neighbors. This year we’ll host our 1st beer & wine festival and1st summer concert series.
For golf, we’re a public course and feature a tiered rate structure so that all can play one of the world's magnificent courses. We even offer a Sunset, 9-hole rate in the evening that appeals to all, especially couples who enjoy golf to a sunset followed by an intimate dinner.
It’s clear that we’re doing our job here, from a civic, neighborly, and business standpoint. We provide world-class experiences right here in the middle of this community, mindful of our neighbors and offering continual ways for them to enjoy and be proud of this world-recognized facility.
But the city council has made it impossible for us to improve. We wished to build houses so that more would-be residents could enjoy the facility. But the city would not let us and is the sole reason we have our driving range.

David C wrote:

I’d like to provide some clarification from Trump National. Our goal is to make this the country’s #1 golf facility. City council has made this impossible. We’re eager for our neighbors to enjoy this amazing showpiece in the community. Yet city council does nothing for us.
But the city council has made it impossible for us to improve. We wished to build houses so that more would-be residents could enjoy the facility. But the city would not let us and is the sole reason we have our driving range.
We wished to have ficus bushes to block the view of houses at the end of the range, to screen the back-ends of these houses used for storing garbage and junk. In fact, as a regular visitor, Tiger Woods commented how much nicer it looked with the bushes. But the city proclaims they are not native and inhibit views; meanwhile, Terranea has non-native 40-foot palms and a myriad of buildings that are view-prohibitive, yet they aren’t prone to the grief we endure.(We’re excited about Terranea; it’s our course that makes them a true destination and we have a fine working relationship with them.)
We wished to build an outdoor terrace to the clubhouse to offer a one-of-a-kind dining experience to our neighbors and guests with even more magnificent views, but the city blocked it for years at an incredible expense in terms of unnecessary mandated geologic studies. In addition the business we lose on a daily basis without the terrace is significant. Meanwhile, these reports have padded the pockets of the city's geologic advisors to the tune of millions of dollars.
Any business wishes to improve. For Mr. Trump there’s no such thing as good enough. And while we’re proud of our facility and what it’s done for the community, we strive to improve so that we may be of even greater value to our neighbors. But the city has done nothing but impede our ability to achieve these goals. The frustrations we feel is not uncommon for fellow businesses and residents in RPV, thus I’m surprised there isn’t more outrage from the community directed toward the city council.

I take it "David C" is David Conforti, the new general manager of the Trump Golf course. He rightly describes many of the good things the facility has brought to the city. But he is new and he has some of his facts wrong. First, Trump voluntarily abandoned entitlements to build homes in favor of a driving range stating that the driving range was needed for a world class golf course. Second, Trump already has entitlements to build the clubhouse improvements David C. mentions. He only needs to satisfy the geologic review he agreed on. Most property owners are required to satisfy the city geologist. Not Trump. If his geologist and the city geologist disagree a neutral geologist decides. Under the agreement Trump was supposed to respect this decision. True the geologist's requirements may cost some money but then this is a course where one of the holes suddenly fell into the ocean so being cautious is a good idea. Third, the ficus trees Trump put in clearly violated the conditions of use of the property in place since before Trump bought the course.
Trump has been denied nothing he has applied for by the RPV city council. Even his illegal construction of the flag pole was authorized after the fact.
Terranea has different conditions of use and is built on solid ground. Terranea has fewer problems with the city becauase it honors its agreements. Trump should try the same approach. It's hard to believe that David C. thinks the complaints outlined above justify Trump's actions in filing a $100 million complaint. Even if the city did somehow delay Trump from building more homes it may have saved him from losses in the current market. It doesn't seem that many of the homes he still has entitlements to build have been sold.
Let's hope Trump really gets back to business instead of wasting his time on an unjustified lawsuit.

David C. must be the new general manager at Trump. He rightly enumerates a number of good things the facility has done for the city and its residents. But he has a few important facts wrong.

First, Trump voluntarily gave us his right to build houses on what is now the driving range stating that a world class course needed a driving range. Second, Trump already has entitlements to build the clubhouse improvements David C. mentions. He needs only to complete the geologic review he agreed to. When his geologist and the city geologist disagree, a third geologist decides. Trump agreed to honor that decision. He should do so. Being cautious with a geologic review makes sense for a golf course where one hole suddenly fell into the ocean. Third, the ficus trees clearly violated conditions of use present on the property before Trump bought it.

The RPV city council has never denied Trump anything he applied for. Even his illegally constructed flagpole was approved after the fact.

Terranea has fewer problems with the city because it obeys its conditions of use and honors its agreements with the city. Trump should do the same. It's hard to believe David C. thinks that the complaints he mentions justify Trump's $100 million lawsuit against the city. Even if Trump has been delayed building homes he should be grateful. What homes he already has entitlements for are not selling.

Let's hope Trump gets back to business and gets focused on the positive things David C. outlines and stops wasting his time with complaints based on misinformation.

Any status on how Trumps homes are selling and if anyone plays on that golf course?