Harvest Hills Golf Course To Be Turned Into Houses - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

darklord700 · 11-02-2014, 09:48 PM

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...338/story.html

I'm surprised that this is happening. If I bought a house back onto a golf course and in the future it is going to face multiple houses' backyard, I would be pissed too.

Is there any law or bylaw governing something like this?

Acey · 11-02-2014, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Ollenberger said city council has told developers it wants to see more densification within the existing boundaries of the city. Redeveloping the Harvest Hills Golf Course is one way to do that.

They could fill in Glenmore Reservoir, too.

Jimmy Stang · 11-02-2014, 10:02 PM

I certainly didn't see that coming. One one hand, I'd be extremely disappointed if I bought on a golf course, and that golf course was turned into housing. Those home owners would have paid a hefty premium for being on a golf course.

But I guess that land can be sold and can be used for something else - that was probably always a risk, although probably discounted as very unlikely by those homeowners. But it is a shame when nice, well utilized, relatively mature green space disappears.

darklord700 · 11-02-2014, 10:03 PM

I'm thinking about fairness to the existing homeowners. They obviously paid more to have a house backing onto a golf course. Now that doesn't mean that the piece of land that was a golf course before can only stay a golf course forever. But what protection do homeowners have?

Jimmy Stang · 11-02-2014, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darklord700

I'm thinking about fairness to the exciting homeowners. They obviously paid more to have a house backing onto a golf course. Now that doesn't mean that the piece of land that was a golf course before it can only stay a golf course forever. But what protection do homeowners have?

Agreed - they're in a pretty unfortunate situation. Surely the original developer cashed in the first time around by selling the lots at a premium, and that investment by the homeowners is lost now. Particularly if someone bought recently and didn't get to enjoy the 25 years (or thereabouts) of having a golf course behind your house.

11-02-2014, 10:22 PM

Didn't the same thing happen down in Evergreen/Shawnee?

DOOM · 11-02-2014, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puxlut

Didn't the same thing happen down in Evergreen/Shawnee?

Yup, Shawnee Slopes Golf Course closed down back in 2011 and the City has approved 1400 new homes being added to the community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawnee_Slopes,_Calgary

Wormius · 11-02-2014, 11:22 PM

I think as a show of good will, the developers should at least add a small buffer of green space around the existing homes that border the golf course.

And of course a golf ball launcher that lobs a golf ball at somebody's window every so often.

Bigtime · 11-03-2014, 07:16 AM

How was the course doing financially? I haven't played there in many years, always remembered it as a tough little 9 hole track though.

Keep in mind there is a huge amount of light industrial/office development occurring east of Deerfoot from here near the airport. This land may have gotten even more valuable as a result and the owners couldn't help but cash out.

For what its worth, the developer is promising lots of consultation with the community, so we'll see what comes from that.

Regorium · 11-03-2014, 07:22 AM

This move just feels like a giant middle finger to city council, with the people it affects be damned.

Bigtime · 11-03-2014, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Regorium

This move just feels like a giant middle finger to city council, with the people it affects be damned.

How so? It's taking an underutilized piece of land next to an expanding employment centre (the airport and industrial land around it) and most likely intensifying it with more homes and services.

That's exactly what the city wants (except it is a pretty auto-oriented area).

Quantum Place Developments is headed up by former CMLC head (the guys that are developing the East Village for the city) Chris Ollenberger, so I am curious to see what he brings for this suburban site after his work on the East Village.

lorenavedon · 11-03-2014, 07:27 AM

I find it funny they need to do this when the city is littered with thousands of empty dirt lots all over sitting around doing nothing. What the city should do is ban land hoarding within city limits. If you buy an empty dirt lot you should have a time limit to develop it or lose it.

Nage Waza · 11-03-2014, 07:27 AM

The big question would be if some people were privy to information which resulted in the sale of homes to unwary buyers.

Jimmy Stang · 11-03-2014, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigtime

How was the course doing financially? I haven't played there in many years, always remembered it as a tough little 9 hole track though.

I played there once this year on a weeknight, and it was pretty busy. I know that busy doesn't equal profitable, but I get the impression that they were doing alright. And yes, you remembered it correctly - it is a tricky nine, that's for sure.

As an unrelated(?) aside, I was talking to the lady at the driving range early in the season, and apparently the range had recently become independently owned. I guess that it was previously owned and operated by the same people as the golf course, even though they quite separated (by the CPR tracks, mainly) from each other. Perhaps a preliminary move by the golf course to get everything in order for the sale of the course itself.

ranchlandsselling · 11-03-2014, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorenavedon

I find it funny they need to do this when the city is littered with thousands of empty dirt lots all over sitting around doing nothing. What the city should do is ban land hoarding within city limits. If you buy an empty dirt lot you should have a time limit to develop it or lose it.

Land hording?

There's about 150 vacant lots for sale in Calgary (MLS), which is a tiny amount. Somehow I doubt there's 20 times more lots unlisted sitting around the city. If you own land you should be able to do with as you please (to a degree). If that involves holding said land until it's profitable to do so then so be it. Every community does not have building requirements, timelines, and architectural design standards that require building a home a certain way, timeline, and layout.

It becomes a liability to keep a vacant/derelict home on a lot that's not being used. Better to knock it down and wait until the money is available, demand is there, or economics are what you want until development.

FlamesFanStrandedInEDM · 11-03-2014, 07:45 AM

My dad and I used to golf their regularly when I was growing up. It's a nice 9 hole course that didn't necessarily feel like a public course.

habernac · 11-03-2014, 07:57 AM

I live in Harvest Hills. There's already a big uproar, I think one of the mom's from school was on CTV last night railing against it. It's a nice 9 hole track, hope it stays.

Bigtime · 11-03-2014, 07:59 AM

Perhaps Bunk can weigh in, is the course currently zoned as a Special Recreation Area by the city?

Hockeyguy15 · 11-03-2014, 08:01 AM

I don't even know how they expect to build a bunch of condo's on it, it would expect that road access would be horrible since most of the course is surrounded by houses.

I play there every now and then with some buddies when we want to play 9 after work during the week and it always seems to be busy so I assumed it was profitable, but who knows.

Peanut · 11-03-2014, 08:09 AM

The whole bit about "densification" is total BS. Agree it's a bit of a middle finger to council, the whole attitude seems to be "oh well *the city* won't let us expand outwards anymore, so our hands are tied! Of course we need to redevelop this golf course! There's no other options!". Or they could, I don't know... Actually densify, not just build more single family homes in an existing suburb.

I would be very upset if I was one of those Harvest Hills homeowners.