Mayor pledges that Burlington’s public golf course is safe from developers

Burlington’s publicly owned golf course is safe from developers, says the mayor.

Speculation regarding the future of Tyandaga Golf Course has been put up for debate, but Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says selling the property to build homes is not an option.

“I know there are rumours out there that one day it will be sold off and get developed,” said the mayor. “But the answer is absolutely and emphatically no, that is not going to happen…at least not on my watch.”

Rumours about the future of the golf course surfaced this summer, but City a Burlington report presented last month stressed that any change to Tyandaga would be strictly cosmetic,

What the City is considering is turning the current 18-hole course into one with just nine holes. The idea behind this plan is to use the remaining space as a park for year-round use. Currently, in winter months, Tyandaga is used for tobogganing, snowshoeing and hiking.

The City has held a number of public meetings to get input on the matter and a decision on Tyandaga’s future will likely be determined within the next several months.

One final public meeting is scheduled at Tyandaga for this Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.

In an interview with Khaled Iwamura of inhalton.com, the mayor stressed that changes to the golf course are only being considered at this time.

“It’s just a proposal, there’s no done deal,” she said. “It’s really important for the community to know that.”

If the redesign were to take place, the course would be moved into the middle of the property thereby keeping stray balls away from neighbouring homes, which has also been a concern.

Changes were brought up, according to the City report, to consider the needs of the community which currently shows a desire for more year-round recreational space that Tyandaga can provide.

As well, the report suggests that current amateur golf trends show a desire by participants to play a quicker game on a shorter course.

Aside from the upcoming meeting, public comments on Tyandaga can also be submitted online by following this link.