Applewood Golf Course, near Golden, could be replaced by 454 houses if Molson Coors and a Denver developer have their way.

Golden-based Molson Coors, which owns the land on which the course sits, confirmed it is in talks to sell it to Carlson Associates.

“As the golf course is not core to our brewing operations, the sale would allow Molson Coors to focus more of our resources on building our global beer business, which is our top priority,” Molson Coors said in a statement.

The golf course, at 140001 W. 32nd Ave., has been owned by Coors since at least 1960, when it was built. It’s bordered by neighborhoods to the south and east, Colorado 58 to the north and open space and retention ponds to the west.

The area is in unincorporated Jefferson County, and county planner Alan Tiefenbach confirmed that an informal rezoning request has been filed by a developer looking to buy the 145-acre course, with plans to build houses.

Some Applewood-area residents are upset at the news and are distributing fliers near the golf course listing concerns about increased traffic, affected property values and loss of open space for wildlife.

“And most of all, we lose a long-standing community gathering and recreational place,” the fliers say.

Members of the Applewood Property Owners Association have the same concerns about traffic and open space, as well as the impact on nearby schools, said group president Brian Hansen.

“We have three schools in the neighborhood — Litz Preschool, Maple Grove Elementary and the Manning School,” Hansen said in an e-mail. “These schools are already in high demand — parents line up at Litz Preschool at 2 a.m. on registration day to get one of their limited spots.”

A community meeting will take place March 3 at Manning Middle School. Should the developer choose to move forward, a formal rezoning request will be filed, along with plans that ultimately would go before county commissioners. A public hearing would be held before final approval.

Nancy Kunz is a longtime resident whose father-in-law built numerous houses in the area in the 1950s. Kunz, a real estate agent, said she is torn over the situation because while she does not oppose development, she is concerned about what such a change would do to the neighborhood.

“If they just throw a bunch of houses out there,” she said, “that isn’t what Applewood is about.”

Whether the development is positive for the community depends on the plans, Golden Real tor Jim Smith said in an e-mail.

“It’s always sad to lose open space, but at least there’s still a golf course nearby,” he said, referring to Rolling Hills, also owned by Molson Coors.

Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JosieKlemaier