I apologize for the late arrival of this edition, but there was SO MUCH NEWS to report this week. Besides the four headlined articles, this edition includes a Restaurant Roundup plus a rare bit of dating advice from Coppell City Council Member Don Carroll.
Coppell’s only golf course abruptly shut down last week, and its relatively new owner is blaming city officials.
The entrance to the parking lot of Riverchase Golf Club is blocked by a pair of handwritten signs, one of which says this: “Due to complicated requests in regard to replacing the water pump permit, since May 5th the city of Coppell has stopped our water. The business is facing financial loss and consequently, we are forced to shut down our business. Please do not enter.”
Dallas Central Appraisal District records indicate that the golf course changed hands in August of 2025. That aligns with an article published last September, when I reported that the new owner was Yuki Sasada, who owns at least one other course in suburban Seattle.
(See “Coppell’s Only Golf Course Has Been Sold” in Vol. 5, No. 29.)
City spokesperson Ginene Delcioppo said the city is waiting on Sasada to do two things, and one of them is comically simple (my words, not hers). Like any new owner of an existing business, Sasada has to obtain a certificate of occupancy from the city. The only obstacle to him getting the certificate is paying the associated fee. City records indicate that the fee is $75.
The complicated task is obtaining a commercial alteration permit for replacing the golf course’s pump house. City records indicate an application for that permit was filed on May 4 — one day before the date on the handwritten sign. Delcioppo said that permit also pertains to the course’s irrigation system and associated waterline connections.
In an email to members of the Riverchase Homeowners Association, Sasada said city officials had no idea that the club’s irrigation system was connected to the municipal water supply.
“We found a city municipal water line connected to the old water pump managed by the previous owner,” Sasada wrote in an email forwarded by multiple recipients. “City was unaware of this municipal water line. We knew there was city water line was attached to old waterline when we took over but we never heard or dreamed of city not knowing about it.”
Delcioppo said it’s true that city officials were unaware of this connection, and they want Sasada to confirm whether or not similar connections exist.
“Because the City received conflicting information about whether that irrigation system remained connected to the municipal water supply, staff requested documentation from a professional engineer confirming the system’s configuration and that appropriate safeguards are in place,” Delcioppo said via email. “That documentation must demonstrate either that the irrigation system is fully separated from the municipal supply or that the appropriate backflow prevention assembly is installed, registered, and properly tested. Because an unauthorized connection was previously identified on this property, the City must verify that no others exist. That responsibility and cost belong to the property owner, not City taxpayers. Conditions inherited from a previous owner remain the current owner’s responsibility and are part of the due diligence process when purchasing property.”
Delcioppo said the city did not shut off the golf course’s water supply. “However, the pump permit cannot be issued until the required documentation is provided,” she said. “Without an approved and operational pump, the course may be unable to irrigate normally.”
(I will post Delcioppo’s full statement in the comments under this edition.)
City Council Member Kevin Nevels expressed support for city staff when trying to explain the situation in the comments under a post in the “Coppell, Texas” group on Facebook. “The city is waiting for the owner to finish what he needs to do,” he said. Council Member Mark Hill complimented Nevels for his comments and seconded his sentiments.
“I do not consider pulling a proper permit and ensuring the health and safety of our drinking water a complicated request,” Nevels wrote. “It’s the duty of the city to have the health and safety of its citizens at the forefront of our actions. I want to thank our city staff for constantly looking out for the wellbeing of the citizens of Coppell.”
I’d like to know where Sasada sees things going from here, but he declined my request for an interview.
The person who posted about this situation on Facebook, prompting comments from Nevels and Hill, wondered where Coppell High School’s golf teams will practice if Riverchase remains closed. A source who attended a golf parents meeting on Saturday disclosed that the coaches said they’ll just have to make other arrangements.
“The kids didn’t like the course,” this source told me, “but it was super convenient.”
Thanks for reading the Coppell Chronicle! This article is public, so feel free to share it.
Although some people may have not noticed the Flock cameras around Coppell until recently, city officials say the technology has been in place since 2021.
Cameras belonging to Flock Security have inspired a lot of headlines lately. Last month, The Dallas Morning News reported on a surge in vandalized cameras in Big D, and KERA covered an effort by Carrollton residents to get the technology out of their city. The Morning News subsequently published a story about the bipartisan opposition to such surveillance.
This article exists because of a July 8 post in the “Coppell, Texas” group on Facebook. Sederick Fuller pointed out a Flock camera attached to a pole supporting a traffic signal on the corner of East Belt Line Road and South Belt Line Road. He asked whether I had insights on the devices and whether they were the subject of any public discussions.
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