Mar. 11, 2003 - Salishan Lodge, a well-known coast resort north of Newport, is returning to Oregon ownership. 

Eugene-based Spring Capital Group has signed a contract to buy the hotel and golf course in Gleneden Beach. 

"It's in great shape now," said David Connor, chief executive of Spring Capital's hospitality division. "It's gorgeous. Opportunities like this don't come around very often." 

Spring Capital is buying the lodge from Lend Lease Corp., a multinational real estate firm based in Australia. 

The sale price was not disclosed. The purchase is expected to close in May. 

The Oregonian reported that a previous attempt by Lend Lease to sell the lodge to another group fell apart when the group was unable to raise the $16 million asking price. 

Spring Capital is comprised of the Connor, Woolley and Harrison families of Eugene, David Connor said. 

The company owns a Best Western at Agate Beach, about a half-hour south of Gleneden Beach, and four Best Western-affiliated hotels in New Mexico, he said. 

In Eugene, the Connor family independently owns the Green Tree and New Oregon Motel, also associated with Best Western. David Connor and Eugene developer Tom Connor are brothers. 

Built in phases starting in 1965, Salishan Lodge has 205 rooms and an 18-hole golf course, plus an upscale restaurant, indoor tennis courts and other amenities that give it a four-diamond rating, Connor said. 

Rooms typically cost more than $100 a night. 

The lodge's developer, John Gray, sold the resort to Lend Lease in 1996. 

The hotel is managed by Westin Hotels and Resorts. 

Connor said Spring Capital will take over management of the hotel and its 120 employees sometime after the purchase is complete. "It's a great place now," he said. "We just want to make it better." 

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(c) 2003, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. HOT,