City should take over golf course to halt development, Kanata councillor says
Kanata North Coun. Jenna Sudds says the city should take over a golf course in her community to stop a proposed development.
The Kanata Golf and Country Club winds its way through the Kanata Lakes neighbourhood.
Last month, its owner, ClubLink, said it's getting harder to make money from golf courses as fewer people play and maintenance costs rise.
Plans to build houses on it have raised substantial opposition from the community.
Sudds said she has been meeting with city staff about the 1981 agreement between the former City of Kanata and Campeau Corp. that promised to protect 40 per cent of the area for green space — the area occupied mostly by the golf course.
She said that agreement has options in case the land would no longer be a golf course.
"Frankly, the most attractive one that I would like to pursue is that the city would take over the golf course," Sudds said.
"ClubLink needs to demonstrate that it was unable to sell it to someone else, then the option would come to us as the city to take it over."
Sudds said the agreement would allow the city to take over at no cost.
It could then find a third party to operate it, or run it itself.
Sudds said a group of golf club members have informed the city they would be interested in purchasing the golf course.
ClubLink and its two developer partners, Richcraft Homes and Minto Communities, have only said they will consult the public in 2019 about the future of the 50-year-old course.
On Monday night, hundreds of people packed into a hall of the John Mlacak Community Centre to express their opposition.
Sudds said she didn't invite the developers and hasn't heard any updates on their plans.
Diane Bondy, whose property backs onto the second tee of the golf course, said she was surprised talk of development has even gone this far.
"To take this green space away is just awful," Bondy said.
"People wouldn't be able to cross-country ski or walk there after hours. The traffic would be quite horrendous."
She supports the idea of the city taking over the land.
One of her nearby neighbours, Wilhelmina Ross, said she is worried most about traffic.
She said she's seen the city parcel off land to developers in the past and is worried the same might happen — even if the city delays development by acting this time.
The presidents of the Kanata Lakes and Beaverbrook community associations both spoke against the proposal and urged citizens to put pressure on all city councillors to reject the development.
Sudds said Mayor Jim Watson has been supportive as she navigated the file, something that emerged before she was even sworn in as a rookie councillor.
Area city councillors Carol Anne Meehan, Glen Gower and Allan Hubley also attended the meeting.
The Kanata Golf and Country Club isn't the only golf course in Ottawa where housing has become a controversial option.
Mattamy Homes presented its plan to develop the Stonebridge Golf and Country Club in Barrhaven, but was met with a uproar and the intitial planning application was withdrawn.
There's a city-facilitated meeting about that site Thurs., Jan. 24 at the Nepean Sportsplex starting at 6:30 p.m.
