Harvest Hills Golf Course To Be Turned Into Houses

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by ken0042

What about community hockey rinks, soccer fields, and baseball diamonds? I guessing that there must be some sport you enjoy recreationally.

And unlike most of those mentioned, golf is something that you can just pick up and play; either by yourself or even with just one or two other friends. It doesn't require the organization of the other sports. Obviously golf isn't that demanding of a sport, but it's something.

We all have something that we use that is partially government funded that others may consider a waste.

This isn't a public course, we're talking about here.

Also, if you're using a "public good" argument for keeping the city run courses, I would comment that golf (even at city courses) is a relatively expensive sport compared to many others, and isn't especially good exercise. That excludes part of the population and reduces the offsetting health care benefits.

Generally speaking, open space that is more public/accessible is preferable to golf courses. If they turned every city golf course into a Riley Park type environment I think the city would be better off.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Quantum Place Developments is going to be holding multiple open houses and other venues for community feedback on this site. They haven't decided anything at this point. So it's a really good opportunity for people to help shape the development through their feedback.

Business people don't buy golf courses without knowing how many SFH or condos they can sell beforehand. The actual plan might not have been carved in stone yet but they "know" what they are going to do before they bought the golf course.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Oh come on:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...822945?cmp=rss

Overreact much?

You know what would "totally destroy" the neighbourhood? If a CP train carrying crazy explosive stuff derails right there and blows up while at the same time an Antonov cargo plane departs the airport, loses two engines and veers to the west and crashes into the heart of the community.

Even then, it will only demolish that gross mosquito-filled pond that exists for no reason.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Business people don't buy golf courses without knowing how many SFH or condos they can sell beforehand. The actual plan might not have been carved in stone yet but they "know" what they are going to do before they bought the golf course.

That is true, but the CA and residents would be best served by taking a page from other communities like Beltline that work with the developers so that they can secure amenities and design changes that work for the community too.

Why not work with them to try and get a design that could be something pretty cool in that spot? Ollenberger got the ball rolling on East Village all those years ago with CMLC, he could have some pretty cool ideas for the site that would be of benefit to the community while adding more residents.

All I am saying is don't go in full negative, find ways to make it a win for the community too.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Here's my Bigtime pro-tip to any residents of Harvest Hills and the surrounding area that are concerned/curious about the potential redevelopment of the course.

Quantum Place Developments is going to be holding multiple open houses and other venues for community feedback on this site. They haven't decided anything at this point. So it's a really good opportunity for people to help shape the development through their feedback.

With a guy like Chris Ollenberger running Quantum you may just find that something pretty cool could be done with input from the community and them.

Or you can get out the pitchforks and use the typical rallying cries of "traffic", "crime", "social engineering" and see where that gets you.

I think a lot of residents should think to themselves that maybe this will develop into space that they can use, vs. space that was basically someones giant back yard that unless they paid green fees they weren't able to use.

I lived in a golf course community for a few years - other than driving past nice "green space" I wasn't able to use it ever. Not even during the winter, you're not supposed to be out there.

The only people this should actually suck for is Golfers and People who backed onto the course. That said... for those two groups the latter might end up okay regardless.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

Public and publicly owned are two different things. Harvest Hills is a privately-owned public course in that you don't need to be a member to play it, as opposed to a city-owned public course.

It was owned by the same group that owns the Hamptons, Silverwing, Boulder Creek, Springbank Links and is planning on building the "Mickelson National" as well.

Yes, I am very aware of the difference between public and private.

[The Ditch]

lmbo if you actually think going to those meetings will change anything, they literally could not care less about the people in the community they probably looked at this property for a very long time and had a lot of people crunching numbers and coming up with designs to maximize profit no company would just buy a property not know what they're going to do with it. They hold these "meetings" for PR they don't mean anything.

It's too bad it's going it was nice to see some green in that area there's a lot of cement and concrete in that area but progress and profits ya know.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ranchlandsselling

I think a lot of residents should think to themselves that maybe this will develop into space that they can use, vs. space that was basically someones giant back yard that unless they paid green fees they weren't able to use.

I lived in a golf course community for a few years - other than driving past nice "green space" I wasn't able to use it ever. Not even during the winter, you're not supposed to be out there.

The only people this should actually suck for is Golfers and People who backed onto the course. That said... for those two groups the latter might end up okay regardless.

As someone whose house backs onto a Golf Course, I think I'd be pretty pissed off if all of a sudden they decided to start building houses there. Besides, it would definitely negatively affect the values, and thats money that you've already paid.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

All I am saying is don't go in full negative, find ways to make it a win for the community too.

I think that we are currently seeing the initial knee-jerk reaction. People are coming to terms with the fact that there definitely will not be a golf course there anymore, and they can't do anything about it. Just the usual shock and venting to the news, etc.

And you're absolutely right - they should engage the developer to help shape the new development. But I can forgive them for being a little bit cynical. The developer bought it to develop it, not to leave a tonne of green space.

Traffic is probably going to be the least of anyone's concerns. The whole North side of the course is adjacent to Country Hills Boulevard, so it isn't going to make much of a difference on existing roads. I guess it depends what they do with that chunk in that doesn't have direct access to CHB.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

I think that we are currently seeing the initial knee-jerk reaction. People are coming to terms with the fact that there definitely will not be a golf course there anymore, and they can't do anything about it. Just the usual shock and venting to the news, etc.

And you're absolutely right - they should engage the developer to help shape the new development. But I can forgive them for being a little bit cynical. The developer bought it to develop it, not to leave a tonne of green space.

Traffic is probably going to be the least of anyone's concerns. The whole North side of the course is adjacent to Country Hills Boulevard, so it isn't going to make much of a difference on existing roads. I guess it depends what they do with that chunk in that doesn't have direct access to CHB.

Traffic on that side will just route to 96 Ave. That's why they built it after all.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by Locke

As someone whose house backs onto a Golf Course, I think I'd be pretty pissed off if all of a sudden they decided to start building houses there. Besides, it would definitely negatively affect the values, and thats money that you've already paid.

Yup, which is why I suggested the only people it should matter for are folks like you and golfers. But... long term you can't fully judge how it will play out until it's done. But short term, 100% it'll lower property values and be annoying.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

lmbo if you actually think going to those meetings will change anything, they literally could not care less about the people in the community they probably looked at this property for a very long time and had a lot of people crunching numbers and coming up with designs to maximize profit no company would just buy a property not know what they're going to do with it. They hold these "meetings" for PR they don't mean anything.

It's too bad it's going it was nice to see some green in that area there's a lot of cement and concrete in that area but progress and profits ya know.

Feel free to take the completely pessimistic viewpoint. But as I have pointed out multiple times they are utilizing a company founded by the person that was instrumental in setting the ground work for the East Village.

Why go with Chris and his team when you could just use any other company to pump out cookie cutter and the same old?

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by ranchlandsselling

Yup, which is why I suggested the only people it should matter for are folks like you and golfers. But... long term you can't fully judge how it will play out until it's done. But short term, 100% it'll lower property values and be annoying.

Even golfers (which I am, although use the term very loosely) will get over it and move on. It sucks to lose an affordable, publicly accessible course, but I think that everyone can understand that the land is privately owned and that money talks. My modest green fee isn't going to bring in the kind of revenue that development will, in both the short or long term.

I still feel badly for the owners that invested in a property on the course. The initial developer charged a premium for that sole reason, and the homeowner will now have nothing to show for it. On the flip side, when dealing with private land, there is always a risk of something like this. But I can understand their frustrations.

[The Ditch]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Feel free to take the completely pessimistic viewpoint. But as I have pointed out multiple times they are utilizing a company founded by the person that was instrumental in setting the ground work for the East Village.

Why go with Chris and his team when you could just use any other company to pump out cookie cutter and the same old?

So? What's your point, Cedarglen didn't buy the property to lose money, if the community collectively says we want this to be 80% greenspace do you think Quantum (pr company hired for this) is going to go to Cedarglen and say welp you can build a couple homes that's it, of course not. Cedarglen bought it to put up houses and make money, unless you're working for quantum how is this even arguable?

[Bigtime]

My point is that yes, they are going to build a bunch of homes in that spot, and yes there is pretty much nothing the community can do to stop it.

But...bringing in a company like Quantum versus others signals to me an opportunity to actually get a pretty good design in how all of this is done.

I don't work for Quantum, sheesh, some quick checking and you can easily find out who I am and who I work for.

However I do know Ollenberger casually and an employee that works there pretty well, and they are both the types of people that don't want to just build homes. They want to help create unique communities and would actually listen to ideas brought forward from the community.

[RedMileDJ]

Glad we didn't buy in Harvest Hills. It was at the top our list when we were looking this past spring and summer. We ended up looking at 2 places that backed onto the course. We ended up passing on them, due to concerns with possession dates and undeveloped basements.

This really sucks for the residents of Harvest Hills. I have a few friends that live in there. Haven't heard their take, but I'm sure they're pissed.

[PsYcNeT]

Ain't no thing. Considering my distance to the golf course, I would be shocked if it affected my property value at all.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Red-Mile-DJ

Glad we didn't buy in Harvest Hills. It was at the top our list when we were looking this past spring and summer. We ended up looking at 2 places that backed onto the course. We ended up passing on them, due to concerns with possession dates and undeveloped basements.

This really sucks for the residents of Harvest Hills. I have a few friends that live in there. Haven't heard their take, but I'm sure they're pissed.

I thought the opening of the 96 Ave extension to Deerfoot was a great win for Harvest Hills -- helps them avoid Beddington Trail or going back North to Country Hills Blvd. Now this.

Thou giveth, thou taketh away...

[ranchlandsselling]

Wow, just looked at the map as I had no recollection of where the golf course went - I knew you could see it on Country Hills Blvd, but that's about it. I figured there were houses around the perimeter, looks like nothing to the north and east, but still a lot of houses that would have had a nice location on some green space.

Anyway, the wow part was about that huge pond right in the middle of the neighborhood. I had no idea that existed. Does anything live in there like fish/reptiles etc? Do people skate on it in the winter?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by ranchlandsselling

Wow, just looked at the map as I had no recollection of where the golf course went - I knew you could see it on Country Hills Blvd, but that's about it. I figured there were houses around the perimeter, looks like nothing to the north and east, but still a lot of houses that would have had a nice location on some green space.

Anyway, the wow part was about that huge pond right in the middle of the neighborhood. I had no idea that existed. Does anything live in there like fish/reptiles etc? Do people skate on it in the winter?

Someone put a rink on it last winter. The only thing in that "lake" are mosquitos and goose