TEMECULA -- The carpet of manicured green-grass fairways of Temecula's oldest public golf course could one day serve as the lawn for nearly 400 residences.

Plans to build 395 homes, condominiums and town homes as well as increase the number of hotel rooms at the Temecula Creek Inn on the property along Rainbow Canyon Road have been submitted to the city.

Though a year of environmental reviews and public hearings await the proposal, representatives of the resort originally built in 1969 are excited about the future of the landmark property.

"We want to create an environment that draws a cross-section of young singles, retirees, families and vacationers to the Temecula Creek Inn," said General Manager Jason Curl. "We want to make this a place that people not only want to visit, but want to live."

Randi Coopersmith, a representative of the planning and engineering firm in charge of the project, said there are a variety of housing styles proposed for the development, which range from 4,000 square-foot single family homes to 1,400 square-foot town homes.

"We want to do something that is unique to the valley," Coopersmith said. "It's a place where people will come to vacation, to play and to live."

There could also be an opportunity to buy vacation homes that could be managed by the staff of the Temecula Creek Inn to provide time-share options. Plans call for three neighborhoods scattered along fairways of the golf course with the goal of avoiding a tract-home appearance.

"There is no desire to line up two-story homes with garages facing the street," he said. "Our intent is to build something sophisticated."

The development also would capitalize on the shade and aesthetics of mature trees and landscaping, which are hallmarks of the property.

The expansion plans also call for the construction of 99 hotel rooms, a 51-foot stone tower, swimming pools, a spa and fitness center. There would be some renovations to the existing 130-room hotel, such as reconfiguring the parking and entrance areas to give the structures a resort look -- instead of the current motor lodge appearance and function of the parking lot.

The residential development would require a reduction in the number of holes on the golf course. The Temecula Creek Inn now has a 27-hole golf course open to the public. To accommodate the expansion, nine holes will be eliminated. An 18-hole championship-length course would remain intact after the expansion.

"There is more than enough golf in the Temecula Valley," Coopersmith said.

Just down the road on Pechanga Parkway, an 18-hole golf course is set to open at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in August, joining numerous other courses in the area.

Curl said holes at Temecula Creek would be lost from each of the three nine-hole layouts, but the "best of the best" will be left behind. Last year, approximately 60,000 rounds of golf were played at the Temecula Creek Inn courses, he said.

One area of the 350-acre Temecula Creek Inn property that will be left untouched will be the Stonehouse, constructed more than a century ago by the quarry workers who mined Temecula granite. The rustic structure, located near the eighth tee box, is used for retreats and wedding ceremonies.

"The Stonehouse is sacred," Curl said.

Patrick Richardson, the city's deputy director of planning, said representatives of the Temecula Creek Inn have been working with city administrators since last fall to discuss the expansion, for which a formal planning application was submitted last month.

The property is zoned for parks and recreation and the general plan designates the area as a recreational commercial property. Richardson said the members of the Inn are proposing a specific plan to allow for the incorporation of the residential uses.

He said an environmental analysis will be needed to study the potential effects on traffic, air quality and noise impacts.

"They are probably looking at a 12-to 18-month processing time frame that will include meetings with the community," said Richardson. "They are very early on in the process."

Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.