A nearly two-year-old lawsuit filed by three residents of Country Club Place, located on Brentwood Drive near Jefferson Highway, against the owner and developer of the small upscale development has been settled. But neither the plaintiffs nor the defendant will discuss the resolution.
In a joint statement the two sides will say only that: “The dispute between Brentwood Development Company and the owners of homes in Country Club Place has been resolved. The Parties amicably resolved all outstanding issues and claims were dismissed.”
The resolution ends a dispute that began in late 2013, when Nanette Noland—who owns The Powell Group and also the Brentwood Development Company, which owns and developed Country Club Place in the late 2000s—donated the property to CCP Foundation, a nonprofit organization affiliated with St. James Place retirement community.
In a statement released at the time, CCPF suggested it might develop upscale senior housing on the remaining undeveloped lots at Country Club Place.
That didn’t sit well with three residents of the development, who had paid more than $1.3 million each for their three-story luxury townhomes. They hired an attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, and threatened litigation. In September 2014, The Powell Group rescinded the donation to CCPF, citing “threatened litigation … and other reasons,” according to court records.
Still, the plaintiffs sued in November 2014, claiming their property had been devalued and their ability to sell or market their townhomes had been negatively impacted. Throughout 2015 and 2016, the two sides engaged in arbitration, according to court records. In August the suit was settled.
Now that plans for upscale senior living are off the table, it’s unclear what the future holds for Country Club Place, which has five townhomes, averaging more than 5,000 square feet each, and 20 remaining undeveloped lots. Noland says she’s not focused on the project at the moment.
“At some point we’ll look at it, but for right now we need to focus on more important things—assets that make money,” she says. “That just doesn’t come to the top of the list.”
—Stephanie Riegel
