18-year lease extension approved for Edmonton’s Royal Mayfair Golf Club

Edmonton city council’s executive committee has approved an 18-year lease extension for the Royal Mayfair Golf Club.

The deal will take the lease agreement with the privately-run river valley club to 2069. The current lease was set to expire in 2051.

READ MORE: Royal Mayfair Golf Club lease with city could be based on Highlands’ terms

“The $20-million investment they want to make is all their dollars, and over and above that, they’re prepared to pay extra money today to extend their lease on a market-value appraisal basis,” Mayor Don Iveson said Thursday.

“So the city gets extra money, the club gets extra certainty.”

READ MORE: New group wants City of Edmonton to reconsider Royal Mayfair Golf Club lease extension

Michael Janz says the numbers don’t make sense.

“To look at this course by the lens of a comparison to shopping malls and skyscrapers is not at all fair,” said Janz, who is a member of the Friends of our Park group. “This is a massive piece of public land that we should be shepherding for the future interest. ”

Watch below (Jan. 7, 2019): A community group wants Edmonton council to reject a lease renewal with the Royal Mayfair Golf and Country Club, a members-only club that sits on public land. Fletcher Kent reports.

1:31 Group asks city to review lease with Mayfair golf club

The deal includes public access conditions, including seven per cent public golf and winter-time cross country skiing.

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The general manager and president of the Mayfair released a statement Thursday in response to the city’s decision.

“After working together with the City of Edmonton over the last six months, we are pleased that we were able to come to terms on a lease extension agreement for the Royal Mayfair Golf Club.

“This has been a fair, open and transparent process; our club’s future is now solidified past 2051 and beyond.

“The Royal Mayfair Golf Club has been a good corporate citizen to our neighbours in Edmonton for almost a century and we look forward to continuing to play a small part in making our city a great place to live, work and play.”

Watch below (Aug. 24, 2013): It takes a small army to keep conditions at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club up to par. Tom Vernon has a closer look at the process.