M’lakes rezoning plan upsets some golfers

January 16, 2013, 11:00 am by Adam Troxtell

A plan by the City of Meadowlakes to rezone and sell lots that are part of Hidden Falls Golf Course has upset citizens that believe the move will compromise the quality of the course.

City officials have been working with members of the Public Facility Corporation to determine where parts of the golf course – which the city is built around – can be rezoned as residential property and sold. Mayor Don Williams is heavily involved in the effort and said it is the perfect opportunity to raise money for the golf course.

"If someone’s willing to buy the lot, I’d like to sell it,” Williams said. "I’m trying to raise money for the golf course.”

But some citizens gathered in a Tuesday evening council meeting where the matter was discussed were not happy with the plan. Dale Fixsen said selling one of the proposed lots along Columbine Street, which surveyors determined overlaps the tee box on hole six, would lower the quality of the course by shortening the hole.

"If we go 100 feet from Columbine, we lose one-third of the tee box,” Fixsen said. "Normally, a golf course has four par-3s: two long and two short. If we cut off one-third of the number 6 tee box, we make it a 150-yard par three from the blue (farthest) tees. It’s not a preferable decision that we sell off part of the tee box. I don’t feel it’s a reasonable thing to do.”

Council is expected to decide at their February meeting whether or not to direct staff to move forward with rezoning a select number of lots.

For the full story, see Friday's Highlander.