Carroll, owner of the Kentucky Speedway and former owner of Turfway Park, recently made an offer to the Ridge Club, which owns the Crest Hills property.

But he was discouraged by the Ridge Club's counteroffer and pulled out of negotiations, said his attorney, James A. Dressman III.

"At this point, he hasn't totally ruled out taking another run at it," Dressman said.

The club wanted Carroll to agree not to seek a zoning change for the property.

Amberley Village Mayor Chuck Kamine called the restrictions in the Ridge Club's counteroffer "irrational" and said he's extremely disappointed negotiations broke down.

"Jerry Carroll's a guy with the wherewithal and the resources to make it a first-class operation," he said. "That would have been wonderful for the village."

C. Francis Barrett, attorney for the Ridge Club, disputed Kamine's characterization of the counteroffer.

"The club's position is very sound and logical," he said.

For the past year, the 133-acre Crest Hills property at Ridge and Galbraith roads has been the object of a bitter zoning battle that has deeply divided Amberley Village residents.

The Ridge Club operates a golf course that was the Losantiville Country Club, about two miles from Crest Hills. After the two clubs merged, the Ridge Club bought them and closed the Crest Hills golf course last December.

The Ridge Club wanted to sell the property to Hal Homes Inc., which proposed building an upscale residential development. But Village Council rejected the developer's request to change the property's zoning from park to residential. The Ridge Club has filed a lawsuit against Amberley challenging the zoning decision.

Some Amberley Village residents - and a majority of Village Council - want the land preserved as a park or golf course, while others argue that the village badly needs the tax revenue that would be generated by the residential development.

The stumbling block to Carroll's bid to buy the property was not the purchase price, but the conditions the Ridge Club attached to its counteroffer, Dressman said.

Neither side would divulge the agreed-upon purchase price. But in its counteroffer, the Ridge Club placed restrictions on the use of the property and shortened the period during which Carroll could inspect it before finalizing the purchase, he said.

"It was unacceptable and inconsistent with their prior discussions," Dressman said.

Barrett said the Ridge Club wanted Carroll to agree not to ask for a zoning change for the property. If the property were zoned for a use other than a golf course, it would be worth a lot more money, he said.

"Why should the club sell it for a lesser amount and then have the village turn around and grant him reasonable zoning?" Barrett said. "The club does not consider park zoning for that property to be reasonable."

He also said the time frame given for Carroll to inspect the property was "more than reasonable."

Louis Katz, a member of a citizens' group that opposes developing Crest Hills, said he likes the plans Carroll had for the property.

"I don't care who owns it, as long as it stays a park or golf course," Katz said. "We don't want to lose the rural atmosphere that exists in the village."

Carroll, who began his career as a golf pro, is interested in the property because he believes there is a strong market for an upscale country club golf course in central Hamilton County, Dressman said.

Carroll intended to tear down the clubhouse and build a new one.

He might make another attempt to buy the property after the Ridge Club's lawsuit is resolved, Dressman said. The lawsuit could take a year or more to work its way through the courts.

"If the atmosphere changed," Dressman said, "Mr. Carroll could get interested again."

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