To the Editor:
I support Hacienda Hills Country Club remaining a restaurant. I believe at least two existing restaurant owners were interested in Hacienda, but the cost of renovating the kitchen, coupled with the Developer’s asking price, was too high for them to consider the purchase. I recently reached out to our ACC on this subject, encouraging them to press the developer to renovate Hacienda in the same manner as they did for Orange Blossom Country Club a few years ago. I also encouraged the ACC to not purchase Hacienda Hills. The ACC referred my inquiry to District Manager Mr. Richard Baier. He did respond to me via email, and I appreciated his honesty. The most profound sentence in his reply was, and I quote, “The Developer did volunteer to me that they had no interest in running the business model in a similar manner as before.”
I urge anyone interested in the outcome of Hacienda Hills, especially if you wish it to remain a restaurant, to contact the Developer’s office and make your wishes known. Their phone number is (352) 753-6760.
Steve Eikenberry
Village of Rio Grande
