Tuesday, the city of Poway took to the polls to vote on Measure A, which would have allowed for the redesign of StoneRidge Country Club golf course into a full 18-hole course along with 180 luxury condos for seniors. However, after the ballots were tallied, it was determined that the course would remain closed as-is.

The golf course will be locked and fenced for the foreseeable future.

Over half a million dollars was spent on the Measure A campaign, with $150,000 contributed in the last two weeks by course owner Michael Schlesinger of Western Golf Properties. Schlesinger spent over $400,000 in total. According to the San Diego Tribune, Schlesinger said, “This is a sad day for us. Today, our employees lost jobs they have enjoyed for over 20 years and Poway just lost 60 years of history.” 

Schlesinger had previously invested in the Escondido Country Club in 2012 before shutting it down. This, apparently, lead to voters lacking faith in his leadership. “Folks felt like they were being bullied and blackmailed by the developer, and such tactics don’t play well in Poway,” Mayor Steve Vaus told the Tribune. 

Next week, the Escondido City Council is scheduled to vote on whether to have 380 new homes built on the Escondido Country Club.

In terms of homeownership in San Diego County cities, Poway is among the highest and has a strong opposition to denser housing. So much so that, since 2010, fewer than 200 homes have been built here despite regional planners insisting on the need of more than 1,000 homes by 2020 to meet growth demands.