Has Ken-Loch golf course seen its final round?

This may have been the last season for golfers to play at Ken-Loch Golf Links near Lombard, according to a developer who plans to purchase the property.

Don Stevens, president of Donven Homes, said he hopes construction of multifamily housing can begin in spring on the property off Finley Road, north of 22nd Street.

His plans for the roughly $85 million project, called Woodmoor on Finley, include four, five-story luxury apartment buildings, each with 72 units, Stevens said.

Construction will begin on those buildings first, he said, but 18 additional buildings containing 100 townhouses also are part of the plan.

Roughly half the apartments will be one-bedroom, with the remaining a mix of mostly 2-bedroom and a few 3-bedroom units, Stevens said.

He said leasing for the apartments could begin in early 2016.

"We look forward to moving forward there and doing really high-quality development," he said. "That's always been our approach."

The work can't begin, however, until the project receives final approval from the DuPage County Board.

Rich Kensinger, who owns Ken-Loch with his sister, did not return phone calls seeking comment. A sign on an entrance gate to the 9-hole golf course, which has been in operation for about 50 years, says it is closed, although it is unclear if it is shuttered permanently or just for the winter.

In the past, the Kensingers have said they can no longer afford to operate the golf course due to a declining number of rounds played.

In 2012, Donven Homes asked the village to consider annexing the golf course and rezoning it because the property is located in an unincorporated area near Lombard. Instead of granting the request, the village board agreed to give the site a new land-use designation, which called for 75 percent of it to remain open space.

Last fall, the DuPage County Board granted zoning approval to Donven Homes for a more extensive development, despite protests from village officials and neighbors.

Opponents of the Donven development said it will create traffic and flooding problems, but Donven representatives assured the county board those issues have been addressed.