It is the end of the road for one of London’s three city-owned golf courses.
Following years of debate over the fate of River Road Golf Course, city council voted late Tuesday to close the east-end venue and sell the land, with plans to put the profits into the city’s public golf system.
Last week, politicians had a lengthy conversation about the future of the course, with some arguing to keep it open for at least another year, as Londoners look for outdoor activities during the pandemic.
A city report says there is only $158,000 left in the reserve fund of a program that faces $6 million in needed capital costs over the next decade.
London still owns two other courses in the city, Thames Valley and Fanshawe.
Council was busy Tuesday, as the group also approved the sale of the Old Victoria Hospital Lands Phase II (OVHL) to a group that has plans to turn part of the site into affordable housing.
“This is an important step in the redevelopment of the Old Victoria Hospital Lands and a significant milestone in building more affordable housing for Londoners,” said mayor Ed Holder.
“I am thrilled to hear that Vision SoHo Alliance’s vision and collaboration on this project will include the creation of 600 units, 300 of which will be affordable housing.”
In addition to the 600 housing units, the design concept also features 2,600 square meters of outdoor amenity space, 500 square meters of commercial space, along with the planned civic space located at the corner of Colborne and South streets.