The following article was written by Lance Nater and Peter Abley and first appeared in the December, 2006, issue of The Eagle Eye, the newsletter of the Eaglecrest Residents' Association.
This past summer the Eaglecrest community made its views abundantly clear when asked to comment on the concept of walking trails throughout Eaglecrest. The predominant concerns raised were that trails would reduce property values, make our homes less safe from vandalism and theft, increase traffic, reduce privacy, and increase the risk of fire. We can only begin to imagine how these residents, and many other homeowners, must feel following the announced closing of the Eaglecrest Golf Club!
There are still many more questions than answers with respect to the Club and the course property. The current owners say Eaglecrest cannot operate as a viable golf course. There are many, including some in the golf club business, who question this conclusion, and the competency of the current owners to run a successful golf club. The bottom line is the course will close December 31. We have been told there are potential buyers who have until Dec 22, 2006 to finalize their decision to purchase. The course will close whether or not the purchase goes ahead. The current owner’s representative, who unexpectedly spoke on behalf of the potential buyer, stated that if the sale goes forward, the new owner would not operate the property as a golf course. Meanwhile, our elected officials have strongly stated their support for the current Official Community Plan, zoning, covenants, and land use regulations that govern the property. These regulations restrict the use of Eaglecrest Golf Course property to green space/open space/golf course use and do not permit residential or commercial development of the land. Unfortunately, as comforting as the comments from our Mayor and Councillors are, we all know of circumstances where zoning has been changed and developers ended up developing land that was previously considered unavailable for development.
The Eaglecrest golf course will become an abandoned property on January 1, 2007. What will this mean to residents of Eaglecrest? To some it will mean no wayward golf balls, no vocal golfers, and maybe the golf nets can come down. For many others, those who play golf, it will be a major lifestyle change for players who are forced to mothball or sell their golf carts, and for others to abandon their golfing buddies as they attempt to book playing time on other local courses. Membership at other local courses is not an option as they are now all full. Residents can expect other negative affects. The property will not be manicured to the level of a golf course. Safety and security will be reduced without golfers and a grounds crew operating every day. When the word gets out that this open space is no longer a golf course, will the “off road” mavericks move in? We’re talking about more incidents than we’ve experienced in the past with the possibility that unimpeded access to the property throughout the day could result in private property vandalism and break-ins becoming a problem. Without golf course irrigation, it is logical that the risk of fire escalates.
Let’s go back to the quality of life implications. Nothing is forever (except death and taxes). Ultimately the property may be developed, signaling the end of the only green space area in our community (except for Yambury Park) and resulting in the destruction of our treasured environment, including its open vistas, wildlife and ecosystems. There is another group who in their way are just as unique to our community and to whom the closing of the golf course is nothing short of traumatic. I refer to the many senior members whose life revolves around the social and physical opportunities provided by the club. The clubhouse would be sorely missed as the traditional meeting place of many community groups including your Residents’ Association. There is no doubt the golf course closure will directly or indirectly negatively effect the physical and emotional health of many of our residents.
There are still many more questions than answers with respect to the Club and the course property. The current owners say Eaglecrest cannot operate as a viable golf course. There are many, including some in the golf club business, who question this conclusion, and the competency of the current owners to run a successful golf club. The bottom line is the course will close December 31. We have been told there are potential buyers who have until Dec 22, 2006 to finalize their decision to purchase. The course will close whether or not the purchase goes ahead. The current owner’s representative, who unexpectedly spoke on behalf of the potential buyer, stated that if the sale goes forward, the new owner would not operate the property as a golf course. Meanwhile, our elected officials have strongly stated their support for the current Official Community Plan, zoning, covenants, and land use regulations that govern the property. These regulations restrict the use of Eaglecrest Golf Course property to green space/open space/golf course use and do not permit residential or commercial development of the land. Unfortunately, as comforting as the comments from our Mayor and Councillors are, we all know of circumstances where zoning has been changed and developers ended up developing land that was previously considered unavailable for development.
The Eaglecrest golf course will become an abandoned property on January 1, 2007. What will this mean to residents of Eaglecrest? To some it will mean no wayward golf balls, no vocal golfers, and maybe the golf nets can come down. For many others, those who play golf, it will be a major lifestyle change for players who are forced to mothball or sell their golf carts, and for others to abandon their golfing buddies as they attempt to book playing time on other local courses. Membership at other local courses is not an option as they are now all full. Residents can expect other negative affects. The property will not be manicured to the level of a golf course. Safety and security will be reduced without golfers and a grounds crew operating every day. When the word gets out that this open space is no longer a golf course, will the “off road” mavericks move in? We’re talking about more incidents than we’ve experienced in the past with the possibility that unimpeded access to the property throughout the day could result in private property vandalism and break-ins becoming a problem. Without golf course irrigation, it is logical that the risk of fire escalates.
Let’s go back to the quality of life implications. Nothing is forever (except death and taxes). Ultimately the property may be developed, signaling the end of the only green space area in our community (except for Yambury Park) and resulting in the destruction of our treasured environment, including its open vistas, wildlife and ecosystems. There is another group who in their way are just as unique to our community and to whom the closing of the golf course is nothing short of traumatic. I refer to the many senior members whose life revolves around the social and physical opportunities provided by the club. The clubhouse would be sorely missed as the traditional meeting place of many community groups including your Residents’ Association. There is no doubt the golf course closure will directly or indirectly negatively effect the physical and emotional health of many of our residents.
To sum up, very few of us have anything positive to gain from the course closing – but we do have much to lose. We should all be concerned, angry, and a little scared about the future of Eaglecrest. We should also be determined to stop unwanted development from taking place in our community. That means we stand together and demand of the current owner and any prospective buyers, that the course continue to operate as an 18-hole facility, and further that we continue to support the Town’s Administration who share our vision.
We would like to hear your thoughts via Eaglecrest_Res_Assoc@shaw.ca or P.O. Box 582, Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1T1
We would like to hear your thoughts via Eaglecrest_Res_Assoc@shaw.ca or P.O. Box 582, Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1T1
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