I am writing regarding the proposed development of golf course lands in Nelson.
Due to financial difficulty, Granite Point golf course is proposing 15 acres of land be sold off for development as housing.
The financial difficulty has been an ongoing problem with the golf course, and questions of sustainability in the long term for the course are questions in my mind.
Last year approximately a $150,000 loss was incurred, and in the previous financial year it was $250,000. In addition, the golf course has a large debt incurred in the 1990s as a result of purchasing land to increase the golf course from nine holes to 18.
The solution has been to sell off land. It has done so in recent years and there has not been any change in the financial woes of the club.
Now the course is proposing selling off the current 10th hole land and other lands to developers .
The end result could be a potentially intrusion of privacy to those who build their houses around the golf course and who payed the real estate price to be have lands that butt up against the course.
What I would like to see is a sustainability model for the golf course that’s effective so the club doesn’t have to continue selling of land to developers.
If the golf course is not sustainable in the long-term, it should have to have a proper housing plan that takes into account current land uses around the golf course and looks at a plan of minimizing the impact on residents who currently reside alongside the golf course.
There is a public meeting on July 17, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Granite Pointe clubhouse on Richard Street West in Rosemont. If you have a particular interest or concern about what development is being proposed please come to voice your opinion.
Bruce Coyle
Nelson