The Jewish Community Center (JCC) sold 58 acres of its land to a consortium of Consort Homes, Payne Family Homes and McKelvey Homes, for an undisclosed amount.  The acreage, part of the JCC’s I. E. Millstone Campus in the Creve Coeur area, is primarily a wooded, undeveloped section of the property but includes the land that currently serves as the JCC’s softball fields.  

The consortium plans to build around 150 single family homes on the property, with entrance to the new homes through an access road at the far west of the JCC. The saleof the property closed Friday, Aug. 15, but a contract has been pending since November, said Lynn Wittels, president and chief executive officer of the JCC.    

In 2011, the JCC had planned to sell the land to Pulte Homes for $4.35 million, but that contract fell through. Wittels did not specify the selling price but said the sale to the consortium was for more than the amount of the previous Pulte Homes deal.

She also explained that Friday’s sale was part of the JCC’s strategic plan adopted in 2005, which included the construction and renovation of its facilities.  “We will use some of the money from the sale to rebuild our ball fields and upgrade the drive west of the J campus, but most of it will go to pay down debt so that we can be debt free in 8 1/2 years,” said Wittels.

In an email Wittels sent to all JCC members Friday, she said she anticipated only limited disruptions to traffic during improvements to the road west of the campus. She added that next year the JCC would have “two wonderful new youth baseball fields as well as an additional soccer field; however, our tennis courts will be removed.

“There will be some changes as well to the Biblical Playground, but we are working with the developer to determine how to improve that space,” she continued. “We know many of you have great memories of camp in the woods and play dates on the playground. Those memories will continue to be made in our new Day Camp Pavilion, which has served as the home to our day camp for three summers.”