Norris Group buys former Fianna Hills Country Club building

Fort Smith-based Norris Group has bought the former Fianna Hills Country Club building and 12 acres for $1.1 million with plans to open a social club and apartments, create space for commercial development and build a “55-plus active lifestyle center.”

Brooks Norris, president and owner of Norris Group, confirmed with Talk Business & Politics that the deal closed Thursday (April 27). Norris Group is the parent company of numerous companies Norris operates in several states. The primary activities of the company are construction and management of apartments.

“It’s going to be a social club. We’re going to remodel everything. It’s going to be a complete renovation. … We’re looking at redoing all the amenities and putting a restaurant in,” Norris said, adding that the restaurant will be open to the public, but there will be a “social club” aspect providing membership benefits.

He said the deal includes what was the tee box, fairway and greens for the 18th hole and the adjacent tennis courts. The land from the former clubhouse down to the interchange of Brooken Hill Drive and Jenny Lind Road will be space for multifamily apartments and commercial development. The plans also include what Norris called a “55-plus active lifestyle center.”

Norris Chief Operations Officer Kelly Clark said they also are in negotiations with a vendor to build a gym in the downstairs area. They also plan to redo the pool area, renovate the tennis courts and add pickleball courts. Clark said they would begin work as soon as possible, with club renovation to take at least 12 months.

“We don’t have all the final (designs) done, but there are plans to create a lot of amenities so that everyone that lives in Fianna can be a part of it,” Clark said.

Norris said the investment would be significant but said they are still in the design and idea phase and don’t yet have a total on the renovation and development costs.

David Millé was the former owner of Fianna Hills Country Club. He closed the club and golf course on Dec. 31, 2018. On-again and off-again efforts to buy the country club and golf course by a group of local investors fell through in September 2020. Millé has been working to sell parts of the golf course to homeowners immediately adjacent to the course. He also sold some fairways to residential developers.