06-01-2020, 10:10 PM
(06-01-2020, 09:59 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(06-01-2020, 09:42 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: I'm not sure there is any way the city could force this. Private property is private, the city can try to buy it, but it isn't going to be cheap, and spending that much money wouldn't necessarily be good either. AFAIK there is no way for the city to force a golf course to stop operating.
I do agree with that. But I believe that membership numbers at Westmount are trending down relatively quickly as younger people are less likely to play golf -- and if they, they'll want to play at a more modern course. So there may yet be an opportunity for the cities or the region to buy the land in the next few decades. The value of the land for single-family housing would be very high, but the current zoning won't allow that, so the transaction price would surely be more modest. If it happens, that is.
Heh...I wonder what the rules are for the city acquiring land, then rezoning it, then selling it at a higher value...surely that must be illegal, not that I'd personally object.