Ives Hill owner withdraws Watertown clubhouse rezoning request

Ives Hill Country Club owner Jake Johnson has withdrawn his request to rezone the club’s 1.7-acre clubhouse and parking lot parcel at 465 Flower Ave. West in Watertown. The request would have changed the property from Residential A to Neighborhood Mixed Use so the restaurant could operate separately from the nine-hole golf course if the course closed.

Johnson withdrew the application after the Watertown Planning Commission voted 5-0 against the change. Planning Director Mike Lumbis also recommended denial, saying the proposal conflicted with the city’s comprehensive plan, which calls for low- or medium-density residential uses in the area.

Johnson said the property will remain dedicated to its existing operations and will not be subdivided or commercially rezoned at this time. He also said Shannon Exford will oversee both the restaurant and golf operations for the 2027 season.

The request was separate from P.J. Simao’s pending proposal to rezone about 16 acres of former Ives Hill course land. Under a deal connected to Watertown’s 2023 purchase of Watertown Golf Club at Thompson Park, Ives Hill was limited to nine holes. Johnson bought the clubhouse and nine-hole course, while Simao retained the other nine holes.

A City Council public hearing had been expected Nov. 7 on Johnson’s request. The council has final authority over rezoning applications. The Ives Hill restaurant reopened in December 2023 and has been operated by Bad Apple Social under Exford.