Pine Valley Plea, But No Promises
Monday, December 3, 2012 @ 6:39 PM
Prince George, B.C. – The Friends of Pine Valley posed several questions to Prince George City Council as they made a plea for Council to abandon the proposal to sell off the course for development.
The Pine Valley Golf course is centrally located, “To dispose of Pine Valley for short term financial gain, would be short sighted” said Don Chamberlain, who addressed Council on behalf of the Friends of Pine Valley.
It was nearly three years ago that the Friends of Pine Valley appeared before Council, and requested a commitment from the City to the future of Pine Valley. A commitment was made, yet, the Core review by KPMG has presented the opportunity to prepare the 40 acre golf course site for sale and eventual development.
“It is time for our City to develop a 50 year vision, a plan that goes beyond the 3 year term of a Council” said Don Chamberlain.
The sale of lands could bring in up to $17 million dollars said KPMG a figure confirmed by the acting head of planning, Ian Wells. Wells says if the 40 acre site was used to develop single family homes, it could bring in about $5-$6 million. If it was developed for commercial use, the price could be up as high as $17 million. And if developed as a commercial site, Wells says the property could generate as much as $300 thousand a year in taxes.
Chamberlain says no one knows how much money could be made if Pine Valley had a driving range, if it was upgraded and marketed. He also questions the notion that to upgrade Pine Valley would cost more than $1.3 million dollars. Chamberlain says discussions with a sprinkler company indicated it would take, at most, $250 thousand dollars to upgrade the sprinkler system so he is miffed about where the other million dollar figure is coming from.
Councillor Wilbur, says this decision will be a real challenge. “It seems to me that one of the problems we’ve got is that there is a diminishing number of people taking up golf.” He says Pine Valley became an entity because there was a need for a place for people to learn the game, before “graduating” to the Prince George Golf and Curling Club.
Councillor Brian Skakun says Pine Valley provides valuable parkland in an area of the City which has a shortfall of parkland. He noted that only 7% of the land base in Prince George is parkland, and the west side of the city which is closest to Pine Valley, has a 22 hectare shortage.
Mayor Shari Green says while recreation is important to the people in the community the time has come to figure out what business the City needs to be in. She said, “Yes it is one time money if we sell it, but it’s one time money we can redirect into other areas where it is needed.”
“For me it is a tough decision” said the Mayor “ but for me, it is one whose time has come.”
Council is expected to make a decision on the future of Pine Valley before this evening’s meeting comes to a close.
Comments
The Mayor says the money from the sale of Pine Valley can be re directed into other areas where it is needed.
I wonder what these **other areas might be**
The Mayor is already on record stating that the money from the sale of these lands will not be used for roads or infrastructure, as these can and shuld be funded by tax dollars. So whats left???
Where will the money go. The City recently amended a bylaw to ensure that all money from the sale of lands on highway 16 West goes to the Land Reserve Fund, and then transferred on an annual basis to the Capital Project Fund.
Seems to me that it is quite clear that the money from the sale of Pine Valley will go to the Capital Project Fund. So this begs the question. What Capital Project will be funded. Are we in fact going to spend the money from destroying a perfectly good Par 3 golf course, to fund a performing arts centre, that will be used very little though-out the year, and will cost us approx $300,000.00 per year to maintain.
If this is the direction that council is heading with this sale, then the people of Prince George had better get thier heads out of the sand, and stand up and be heard.
I think Sheri still owe’s a bunch of her voters a Kin 4 arena. That won’t happen.
Maybe they could build a PAC with an open 200ft. X 85ft. space.
âIt is time for our City to develop a 50 year vision, a plan that goes beyond the 3 year term of a Councilâ said Don Chamberlain.
It is called an Official City Plan – OCP.
This mayor and council and a few before it have been making a mocker of it. Amendment after amendment. When was the last time it was actually looked at by anyone in this city as it actually reads?
The OCP may not be a 50 year long term plan but it should last longer than it does without changes or amendments every time we turn around.
Anything that went into KMPG was already slated by the city.
Obviously Sheri the business of Real Estate is not working for the city…
Pine Valley is the only reasonably priced course that is central to most of the population. Maybe the city needs to look at the GM of the course and what they are doing to draw more business. Maybe the city can have the golf course be a project for UNBC’s well respected JDC West team?
Who knows what it would take, but it sure will hurt a lot of golfers who can’t afford to play the large courses.
why,there,s room for 3 or 4 more car lots.
If this is such an important golf course why is the parking lot always empty during golf season? I drive by it everyday and last summer i think the parking lot was more than half full a few times. I seriously doubt that it makes any money at all. The worst golf course in town period. Develop it into something that pays more taxes, whether its housing or commercial i dont care.
Sell it already and cut the tax exemption for the pg golf and country club at the same time. The PG club will no doubt gain a few more golfers when pine valley closes and then won’t need my hard earned tax dollars to subsidize the play of the rich and connected.
Explains why councilor wilbur wants to sell as I hear he is a member and shareholder at the golf club and will no doubt benefit from Pine Valley being closed.
I can’t picture Dave Wilbur swinging anything but a fork.
SELL, SELL, SELL!
If they do sell for commercial, I hope they offer it in small packages so that individual businesses can afford to buy the land and build mom and pop style shops. The way it is now, most businesses are paying out huge sums of rent to large out of town corporations. It would be nice to see some that rent money stay here in PG.
You got concerns? or just bellyaching?
The time it takes to post on the blog you can have a short letter emailed to city. The link is below.
This way it gets to everyone on council and mayor. Will be required to be posted on the agenda and minutes for the public to view if I am not mistaken. Especially when that subject is up for review at council meetings is it not?
Another reason for using this email address is that if anyone does an FOI request for certain information it will be there
mayorandcouncil@city.pg.bc
If you didn’t vote for this council then you can’t witch. If you don’t write then don’t witch.
huh?
I didn’t vote for most of this council and thats why I’m witching.
Everyone is entitled to witch whether they voted or not.
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