City of Calgary Taxation on Golf Courses

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Just a quick glance shows Lynx Ridge - narrow + grading issues Silver Springs narrow / stormwater + grade challenges, Earl Grey this is leased on City lands but you're right it could be developed as housing - forgot about that one, Calgary Golf and Country Club Elbow River floodplain, Willow Park again narrow with stormwater issues - could maybe yield a cul-de-sac or two, Maple Ridge similar issues to the adjacent Willow Park, could probably redevelop the part adjacent to Deerfoot, Douglasdale definitely too narrow to make sense - maybe a cul-de-sac near the clubhouse...and I've stopped looking. There are many that could easily be re-purposed, and some on super prime land.

Comments above. Out of all of those, the only great development sites are Canyon Meadows and Earl Grey. Maybe add in the south half of McCall Lake.

People who are new to development often underestimate the impact of civil engineering challenges on large scale projects. A good case study is the saga around the failed redevelopment of the former Highland Park golf course, which functioned as a stormwater conduit similar to many other courses in town.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Slava

You guys both know, and adore, a golfer! 😎

I liked you but “adore” is such a strong word.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

Oh theres more irony there too, I just think its funny. I actually have genuinely no opinion of Golfers other than when they were whining about not being allowed to Golf during the pandemic.

Well everyone has their hill to die on, and mine was golf during the pandemic. Thankfully, it didn't come to that!

[NOISIA]

Don’t touch my gem of a private golf course in YYC.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by timun

That's just the mailing address.

(It's a post office box.)

I'm unfamiliar with that term...there's no @ or .com so how does that even work?

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Zarley

Comments above. Out of all of those, the only great development sites are Canyon Meadows and Earl Grey. Maybe add in the south half of McCall Lake.

People who are new to development often underestimate the impact of civil engineering challenges on large scale projects. A good case study is the saga around the failed redevelopment of the former Highland Park golf course, which functioned as a stormwater conduit similar to many other courses in town.

The Earl Gray lease just got renewed for 20 years with a 30 year option to the course. When it runs out I think converting it to parkland and some residential would be a good choice for the city.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

The Earl Gray lease just got renewed for 20 years with a 30 year option to the course. When it runs out I think converting it to parkland and some residential would be a good choice for the city.

Why?

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

The Earl Gray lease just got renewed for 20 years with a 30 year option to the course. When it runs out I think converting it to parkland and some residential would be a good choice for the city.

I don’t - it’s a beautiful course with a long history. If we had a shortage of development land then I could see some logic in that idea but luckily that’s not the case.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Why?

Because I think a nice big public park does more good for more people than a members only golf course.

Just develop enough land to offset the loss of the lease the golf course is paying.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

Like church land?

Yes.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Because I think a nice big public park does more good for more people than a members only golf course.

Just develop enough land to offset the loss of the lease the golf course is paying.

Calgary has a lot of public parks. Poor reasoning.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Calgary has a lot of public parks. Poor reasoning.

And one literally right beside that course.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Because I think a nice big public park does more good for more people than a members only golf course.

Just develop enough land to offset the loss of the lease the golf course is paying.

LOL, it already abuts "nice big public park"... and the Weaselhead.

It seems that there are two conversations happening here:

1) are the taxes paid by golf courses and other less optimal land uses high enough / fair, and;

2) should private recreation facilities exist?

Some posters would come off as more genuine if they just stuck with 'eat the rich', rather than try and come up with silly arguments.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Calgary has a lot of public parks. Poor reasoning.

Calgary also has lots of golf courses.

Why is a private golf course better use of publicly owned land than a public park?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Calgary also has lots of golf courses.

Why is a private golf course better use of publicly owned land than a public park?

Calgary doesn't really have lots of golf courses though. It might feel that way to the non-golfer, but the truth is, we could use more and the demand is certainly there for more.

As far as the "best use" question, it's just subjective. Some people would say that the best use is a dirt bike track or something like that, and at the same time that's going to make a lot of people upset. In this case though, there is a mix of public and private property around the reservoir in general. Aside from the residences and hospital you have a lot of parkland, and then Heritage Park and a golf course. It seems like a pretty good balance.

[timun]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

I'm unfamiliar with that term...there's no @ or .com so how does that even work?

Not sure if srs.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by you&me

Some posters would come off as more genuine if they just stuck with 'eat the rich', rather than try and come up with silly arguments.

Absolutely. The posters in question should just come out and admit that the energy behind this whole thread and many of the arguments in it is 'eat the rich' and dismantling things that are culturally slanted white and male.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by timun

Not sure if srs.

Not srs. It was just weird for a PO box to come up as the 'address' on google maps, and I'd just read something about a course buying land from CPR in the 20s (not sure if it was CG&CC) so my brain thought it might just be a weird holdover address.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Absolutely. The posters in question should just come out and admit that the energy behind this whole thread and many of the arguments in it is 'eat the rich' and dismantling things that are culturally slanted white and male.

That's not fair. I'm sure some of the energy behind this thread is based on the fact that golf is for boring nerds.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Absolutely. The posters in question should just come out and admit that the energy behind this whole thread and many of the arguments in it is 'eat the rich' and dismantling things that are culturally slanted white and male.

I have long suspected this to be bizaro86’s M.O.

I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but I’ll propose a compromise that I think should satisfy both the eat the rich folks and the insecure white males who think they are being persecuted crowd, that compromise is to only close down or raise taxes on the golf courses that Slava goes to.