Hudson Golf club withdraws land offer

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On Monday, Chris Hanson, owner of the Hudson Golf Course, sent a letter to the Hudson School District withdrawing his offer to donate 65 acres of the golf course for a new school.

In a press release, Hanson said he thought it was best if he withdrew his offer to donate the land after an evaluation of the property indicated the proposed site “would not meet the long term secondary educational needs of the district.”

The Hudson Board of Education heard a report at their meeting last week that the site would provide approximately 40-45 buildable acres, short of the estimated 65 acres needed for a large secondary school. See related story on page 3A.

In October, Hanson and his family made the offer of up to 65 acres. The offer was contingent on the city of Hudson allowing commercial development of the southern portion of the golf course.

In the release, Hanson said he respects the school board’s decision to opt for the St. Croix Meadows property that is larger and appears to be more buildable. The district has a purchase agreement for the 125-acre property at a cost of $8.25 million. There will a referendum this spring to seek voter approval for the purchase.

Hanson said he had hoped to take advantage of the opportunity to develop land to help address a current community need. “But it seems the offer instead complicated already difficult decisions for the School Board and district voters.”

Hanson said that was never the intention of his family’s offer and that is why they have withdrawn it.

In a statement Tuesday, Superintendent Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten said “The district appreciates Mr. Hanson’s intent to support a solution to secondary space for learning needs. We also appreciate Mr. Hanson’s understanding of the limitations of the site for a secondary school. By withdrawing his original proposal, he allows the community to refocus consideration of the St. Croix Meadows Dog Track for a secondary school solution.“

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