The Prairie Village City Council this week approved a plan to bring major improvements to the facilities at Homestead Country Club.

By unanimously approving a special use permit, the city paved the way for work to begin on infrastructure projects that will replace the seasonal tennis bubble on the property’s western side with a permanent structure, revamp the clubhouse and dining facilities, and add courts for pickleball.

The approval signals brightening horizons for the club, which had faced financial strains in recent years. In operation since 1952, Homestead filed for Chapter 11 protection and arranged to sell six acres of land fronting Mission Road to homebuilder Evan-Talan Homes in 2014 in a effort to fend off takeover maneuvers by developers Jeff Alpert and Melanie Mann. While that effort helped keep the club operational, it continued to explore options for revitalization.

Late last year, the club announced it was being sold to businessman Dennis Hulsing, who had recently moved back to the Kansas City area. A successful hotel industry executive and entrepreneur, he owns two racquet clubs in North Carolina, and saw Homestead — where he was once a member in the early 2000s — as an attractive turnaround prospect.

Hulsing hired BRR Architecture Inc. to help draft concepts for upgrading the club’s existing facilities. He and club officials had several meetings with neighborhood residents and city officials to work through concerns about potential light pollution and drainage issues related to the upgrade projects. At Monday’s meeting, staff indicated that the club has been willing to make adjustments to address neighbors’ comments.

Hulsing told the city council Monday that he expected all of the work on the facilities to be complete by next year.