City eyes golf course redevelopment

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This article was published 26/03/2016 (3658 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Brandon hopes to partner with the business community in order to protect one of its most cherished green spaces, according to general manager of operations Rod Sage.

But in its haste to spur new development, residents near the Wheat City Golf Course say the city has knowingly ruined another bit of cherished green space.

The city intends to seek proposals from developers on the golf course’s parking lot this spring, Sage said.

The money from the sale would be used to finance improvements to the Assiniboine River dike, which would protect the golf course from future flooding. It would also be used to construct an at-grade traffic crossing over the tracks at 34th Street and Pacific Avenue to provide greater access to the area.

“We hope to see a number of proposals for the area,” Sage said.

If there is more than one proposal, Sage said the land wouldn’t necessarily be sold to the highest bid. Instead, the bids will be weighed based how it fits with the overall green space.

The city is leaving it up to developers to come up with those proposals. Some ideas that have already been floated around include a multi-storey building that consists of some commercial property on the ground floor and residential above. Or a resort-style building that is designed to attract large conferences, offering meeting rooms and lodging. A resort on a golf course could be an attractive commodity, Sage said, with the area offering golf in the summer and cross-county skiing and tobogganing in the winter.

It isn’t the first time the city has asked for RFPs on the property.

In 2014, J&G Homes offered to purchase approximately three acres of land for $750,000.

The local development company planned to build a 57-unit, three-storey residential condominium complex, complete with a new pro shop for the golf course.

It isn’t necessary for a pro shop to be located in the building, Sage said, believing a small stand-alone facility could be used instead — something similar to the old Shilo Golf and Country Club pro shop.

That proposal was ultimately declined in a unanimous vote at council.

The debate, however, stirred powerful emotions from the public as some people believed the city should hold on to the space at any cost.

Sage was adamant Thursday that this call for RFPs would be a win-win for the city.

The sale would eliminate the city’s role as building owner. Currently the city owns a clubhouse that, in the past, housed a curling club and restaurant. In more recent years, it leased a portion of the building to several private restaurant companies —with mixed results and little success.

Sage said the city shouldn’t be in the business of leasing space to private companies.

The second win is that the revenue generated from the sale will be used directly for what he deems the city’s greatest priority — protecting the golf course and valuable green space that doubles as a park for many local residents.

“It is more than a golf course, it’s a green space,” Sage said, adding that many people walk their dogs there in the spring and fall, and it’s not uncommon to pass cross-country skiers in the winter.

The plan hasn’t come without a cost, however.

On Wednesday, Clay Baumung and Cal Cuthbert toured the Brandon Sun around the golf course, where wide swaths of treed habitat were destroyed.

“It’s a shame,” Baumung said while stepping over a heap of trees pushed into one of several makeshift piles.

“It isn’t coming back.”

Baumung, who lives in the area, frequently walks the park with his dog and is saddened to see the loss of such a lively and diverse ecosystem.

Cuthbert, a former Ducks Unlimited employee for more than three decades, said it was a prime location for bird watching in the city.

“It’s disgusting,” he said. “Despicable.”

More alarming for Cuthbert is that there was no public discourse about the clear cutting.

Arlene Ash, who just happened to be walking through the area at the same time, echoed Cuthbert’s and Baumung’s sentiments.

“I don’t understand why they would destroy those trees,” she said, the emotion in her voice palpable.

“It’s beyond sickening. It’s ruthless. That was one of the best parts of Brandon was that bit of green space.”

Sage explained it’s never an easy decision to cut down trees, but the city plans to use the embankment the trees and shrubs were growing on as the fill for the dike.

Using material so close to where the dike will be built is expected to save the city a lot of money. Sage estimates the dike work will cost $750,000 and can be done primarily using city labour and equipment — another cost-saving measure.

The cost of an additional crossing hasn’t been calculated by the city’s engineers to date.

Sage didn’t believe there was a need for public debate on the issue due to the scale of work. When the city was able to secure equipment — which is typically used to clear brush and trees for hydro lines — earlier this month, Sage gave the cutting the green light. He believes it was within his purview and consistent with the city’s Green Space Master Plan.

“We wanted to be in a position to act. To be ready if a developer steps forward,” Sage said, adding that the cleared space could provide value in the form of a landscaped driving range on the golf course in the future.

Additional trees near the dike and along a few holes near the river were also removed to provide access for construction.

“Everything we are doing is proactive … We’re just now opening the golf course for the first time since 2010, and if this goes forward, I want to be able to do this work this year, this fall, so that we’re not worried about another spring and everything that can come with it,” Sage said. “We have to protect that green space.”

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