PENINSULA, Ohio — The sale of property that was part of a former golf course in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been finalized, with about 200 acres now owned by the National Park Service.

But the property, the former Brandywine Golf Course located in the heart of the national park, could have ended up in the hands of commercial developers had some nonprofit groups not worked collaboratively to preserve it.

The land was being eyed by developers in 2018 while the Trust for Public Land worked to buy the property, the Conservancy for the CVNP said when it announced it had bought the property.

With a federal appraisal taking too much time, the trust turned to the conservancy, which, with fewer restrictions, could move more quickly, the conservancy said.

The conservancy was able to buy the property using funds donated by individuals and a philanthropic network of five foundations, including Akron Community Foundation, Connor Foundation, GAR Foundation and the National Park Foundation, the conservancy said.

“Since 2019, the conservancy worked diligently to save this property in the heart of our park to protect habitat as well as create a space for all to enjoy the land and Cuyahoga River,” said Conservancy for the CVNP President and CEO Deb Yandala, in a release, expressing gratitude for all who stepped up to help preserve the land.

The conservancy bought the 213-acre golf course, then sold 198 acres of the land to the park service, keeping about 15 acres, the conservancy said. The resale of the acreage to the park service was finalized in late December.

“We are delighted that the transfer of the former Brandywine Golf Course property to the National Park Service is now complete, officially adding this beautiful acreage to Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the benefit and enjoyment of our visitors and our communities now and into the future,” said Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Lisa Petit.

When Brandywine initially went up for sale, many residents feared the potential for commercial development at the old golf course after two other properties near the park were purchased for residential development, resulting in an uproar from the community.

At the time, a large citizen group, Preserve the Valley, was working with Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, which border the national park, to come up with a master plan for development in the Merriman Valley neighborhood at the park’s southern border.

Now underway, the master plan is intended to guide development and land use to shape the area around the park into National Park Gateway Communities, in which citizens, businesses, developers and municipalities have a voice in planning, the group said.

Gateway communities work toward balancing commerce and nature, according to the NPS.

Now, the conservancy, working with HZW Environmental Consultants of Mentor, Ohio, will oversee remediation of the national park’s new property, planned to begin this year, the conservancy said.

The Ohio Department of Development awarded an Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program grant to pay for remediation of the property, which will remain closed for safety reasons, the park service said.

Soil will require removal after testing revealed the presence of mercury near tee boxes, putting greens and some fairways, likely caused by fungicides and herbicides used from the 1950s through the 1990s, the park service said.

Remediation plans also include restoration of streams that were buried to create farmland there, and later the golf course, the park service said. The site’s plants and animals will also be monitored and their habitats protected and improved.

When remediation is done, the park service said it will rely on public and community input, especially from the nearby Village of Peninsula, to develop a site plan with visitor amenities.

Project updates are available on the conservancy website.