LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A property dispute in a massive Fern Creek subdivision has turned neighbors against one another, led to accusations of racism and extortion, and resulted in a local real estate developer fending off allegations of exploiting homeless people in order to force the sale an overgrown golf course.
At the center of the controversy is Chris Thieneman, a developer and one-time candidate for mayor of Louisville who has appeared on TLC’s “90 Day Fiancé.”
In early 2021, Thieneman purchased the shuttered clubhouse and roughly 45 acres of land at Glenmary, an 864-lot community one mile south of the Gene Snyder Freeway. Many residents initially welcomed him and his promise to restore the property to its former glory. Less than a year later, the Glenmary Homeowners Association is suing Thieneman and his friend, Neal Robertson, who is the president of West Louisville Urban Coalition (WLUC) and one of Glenmary’s newest property owners.
The lawsuit claims that Thieneman and Robertson hosted a “homeless retreat” at Glenmary in early October, planned another for Halloween weekend, and implied that a homeless shelter would be built in the subdivision, all in an attempt to get them to buy remaining golf course land that Thieneman doesn't own.
WLUC’s “only goal was to import homeless” to Glenmary to “convince” the HOA that “it would be better to purchase the Property rather than face the prospect of a homeless encampment,” the lawsuit says.
Both Thieneman and Robertson deny the claim. They deny exploiting homeless Louisvillians, who Thieneman said he has long tried to help. And they deny any relationship beyond being friends.
They claim animosity directed at them from the HOA is the result of residents wanting to use the golf course property without paying for it and open, virulent racism expressed in the form of shouted and spray-painted racial slurs.
“I don't only have to do business in West Louisville,” Robertson said during a press conference at Glenmary Thursday. “Gun shots, rapes, robberies — we just don’t want to be a part of that. We want to come out of here and be a part of this great neighborhood.”
In February 2021, when Thieneman purchased Glenmary’s clubhouse and shared his plans for the property, Brenda Anne was hopeful. A Glenmary resident who lived in the subdivision when the golf course was operational, she said, “I was looking forward to Chris doing something with the clubhouse.”
Martin, another resident who declined to give his last name, felt similarly. He said he attended meetings Thieneman held for Glenmary residents to learn about his plans. He always found the former UofL football player to be kind. Martin also heard Thieneman’s pitch for the homeowners to buy the rest of the golf course, which he has an option to buy from Par Golf Inc, owner of the land since 2005.
“But getting 850 people to decide to do something isn’t very easy,” Martin said.
Thieneman wanted residents to pay $1.6 million for the golf course, according to the HOA's lawsuit, and he is accused of being aggressive in his attempts to get them to do so.
When Thieneman’s attempt “to force” the HOA to purchase the land failed, “he decided to pursue other tactics,” the lawsuit says.
Thieneman said he never pressured the HOA to purchase the land and when it was clear they wouldn’t, he began looking into other possibilities. Among them was the potential sale to a company that would build a sports complex on the land. When residents pushed back against that, he approached Robertson, who Thieneman met while participating in protests against the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
“My passion in life is helping the underdogs, the ones that don’t get a chance,” Thieneman said. “That’s where Neal and I share a passion.”
Robertson now owns a half acre plot of uneven land near the golf course. He would not say how much he paid for it, but information on the Louisville/Jefferson County Information Consortium website says it was purchased by the West Louisville Urban Coalition for $5,000.
The HOA lawsuit, however, claims that Par Golf could not legally sell the land to Robertson and that his deed is invalid. It cites a 2018 Jefferson Circuit Court ruling that said the golf course could not be split into parcels. The Court of Appeals later agreed.
A man in a pickup truck driving by the Thursday press conference provided a reminder of the court opinions. “He’s lying. You’re going to get sued. That plot’s illegal,” the man yelled.
Robertson is not letting that stop him. He says he has big plans for his land, he’s just not sure what they are yet. He mentioned the possibility of a homeless shelter or a community meeting space. “I can put what the hell I want here,” he said when asked about the court rulings, which also said the golf course land could only be used for recreation.
His first attempt to put what he wanted on the land ended with the police kicking him off. In early Oct., Robertson brought a group of people to a piece of Glenmary property near his plot. “Me and some of my friends were checking out the land and said, ‘Hey, let’s just spend the night’,” Robertson said.
The gathering ended when police arrived and accused Robertson’s group of disturbing the peace, he said. He denied that. He also denied that the gathering was a “homeless retreat,” as the HOA’s lawsuit claims. But in a Facebook post on Oct. 2, Robertson wrote, “The homeless retreat was an awesome time, until we where (sic) illegally put out."
Three days later, he teased another gathering at the site. “The city is moving the homeless camps from downtown, so we will be recruiting them for Glenmary retreat Halloween weekend,” Robertson wrote.
At the Thursday press conference, he said there are no plans to bring homeless people to Glenmary on Halloween. He’ll be hosting a trunk or treat, instead, he said.
Robertson said he has done nothing in his short time at Glenmary but try to improve the community. Charles, a Glenmary resident who denied to give his last name, agreed. "There’s nothing wrong with what he’s done," Charles said. "He has done nothing but tell the truth and try to make this neighborhood nicer."
Roberson claimed that the opposition to his presence is based on race. He said someone drove to the early October gathering and yelled racial slurs at him. “That’s welcoming me to the neighborhood,” he said.
Thieneman said the clubhouse was also vandalized with racist graffiti. “They got the n-word written in there,” he said. “Not everybody is a racist, but I can tell you there are some.”
Martin, the Glenmary resident, said it's unfair to characterize the entire subdivision as racist based on the "terrible" actions of some people. As for why Robertson has inspired such opposition, he said, "I think it has to do with people wanting to live in a nice neighborhood and not have a homeless encampment here.”
Here is full complaint against Thieneman.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story said Chris Thieneman purchased the Glenmary clubhouse and 45 acres of land in 2018. Thieneman purchased the land in early 2021. The error has been corrected.