Pine Needles Resort to build a new residentia/commercial neighborhood

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, the North Carolina golf resort owned and operated by golf matriarch Peggy Kirk Bell and her family, has entered into a joint venture with the Hines real estate firm to develop a new residential and commercial neighborhood.

Pine Needles Village will be a 550-plus-acre master-planned, mixed-use development incorporating a variety of residential offerings in a traditional neighborhood design, as well as office and commercial components.

The development is adjacent to and will be incorporated into the Pine Needles and Mid Pines golf resorts, owned by the Bell family. The resorts offer two classic Donald Ross-designed championship golf courses, with Pine Needles, recently ranked No. 3 in the state by the North Carolina Golf Panel, slated to host its third U.S. Women's Open Championship in 2007. The development and resorts are located along U.S. Hwy. 1 in the Town of Southern Pines and adjacent to the Village of Pinehurst.

The Bell family, which has operated Pine Needles for more than 50 years, selected Hines after a rigorous qualification and competitive interview process.

"Pine Needles Village will be an integral part of our business and will create a traditional village focused around a town center. Residents will be able to walk to a park or open space within 5 minutes. There will be a real sense of community," said Kelly Miller, the president of Pine Needles and Mid Pines.

Preliminary master-planning and entitlement activities are underway with groundbreaking planned for the first quarter of 2007. The development should be in full swing by the U.S. Women's Open, and they anticipate project completion in eight to 10 years.

Copyright 2006 PGA.com. All rights reserved.