The prospect of houses and apartments replacing golf greens sparked an angry protest Sunday in the southwest community of Shawnee, with residents upset at losing a local private golf course, which was closed for good this weekend.
More than 300 people gathered around noontime with placards in hand to vent over the proposed redevelopment of the Shawnee Slopes Golf Course, saying it would strip away green space from the area.
They also worry there will be traffic problems if the development goes ahead, adding the community can’t handle such a major jump in population that would see 3,500 new residents move in.
Shawnee Evergreen Community Association president Gloria Dingwall said the community has no issue with densification on other nearby land.
The Shawnee Slopes is a different matter, she said, and local residents bought into a community with this kind of open space.
“There’s no kind of social conscience in this,” she said of developer plans for the site. “It’s enforcing the will of the minority on the majority.”
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The proposal is still in the hands of the city’s planning department. When it emerges, it will head to the Calgary Planning Commission and then will be voted on by city council.
The golf course was bought in the last couple of years by GeoEnergy Enterprises Ltd. It wants to build a major residential development on the 52 hectares, which sits just below Fish Creek Provincial Park.
In all, 1,500 units are contemplated. A little more than half would be houses, with the rest apartments, along with a small commercial street.
Ray Clark, a spokesman for the company, argues the proposed development aligns neatly with the vision of Plan It Calgary. And if all goes ahead, Clark said 25 per cent of the land will be accessible to the public, either by walkways, open lands, and access to Fish Creek Park.
The transportation infrastructure, he said, has been built to accommodate development. A transportation assessment has been submitted to the city and there are no major improvements required, he said.
“It’s a privately held piece of land,” he said. “In terms of losing community open space, the community doesn’t have access to any of that open space today.”
Clark is also a member of the Calgary Planning Commission, which will hear the planning application. Clark said he has recused himself from any discussions and everyone, including the city law department, has been apprised.
Still, some with the community association have argued Clark should not be on the commission as he is a lobbyist for the developer, even as other members on the commission are themselves developers and architects.
Back at the protest, some argue they bought into a certain neighbourhood and are furious at the prospect of such dramatic change.
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