City's plans for Huron Hills Golf Course will destroy its beauty
I can’t for the life of me understand why the City Council wants so badly to dismantle Huron Hills, one of the most beautiful open spaces we have in the city. The City of Ann Arbor always needs money, and two years ago, the council, after consulting with an expensive consultant, came up with a proposal to sell part of Huron Hills for development. There was a large hue and cry from the citizenry, and the council backed off, but not for long.
Now there is a RFP out for a public-private undertaking to make the golf course “pay for itself.” What does that mean, exactly? If it means a long-term lease to create a driving range, it means lights, nets, fences, buildings, and perhaps commercial space. There goes the beautiful open land.
Once gone, it cannot be taken back.
I am not a golfer, nor do I live near Huron Hills, but almost every day I drive by the golf course and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. I give tours to potential newcomers to Ann Arbor, and I point with pride to our gorgeous municipal golf course, which incidently the city has owned outright for 60 years. Ann Arbor was voted one of the best small towns by Money magazine. One of the reasons listed was our city owned and operated public golf courses.
In 2003 voters (including me) authorized a .5 mill tax for 30 years which is officially called the OPEN SPACE and PARKLAND PRESERVATION milage. It provides many millions of dollars for park land both within and outside of the city. In 2005, the city was willing to pay $5 million dollars for four farmslands outside of the city. But now they want to sell what we already own and which benefits all citizens of the city of Ann Arbor. This makes absolutely no sense to me - NONE! NADA!
It's hard to imagine Ann Arbor's downtown area without the beautiful and historic Michigan Theatre, but the theatre was hours away from being destroyed to make room for a shopping mall. A last minute move on the mayor's part saved the theatre from the wrecking ball. Ironically, it is our current mayor and our city council who seem to be doing the opposite regarding beautiful and historic Huron Hills. Ann S. Schriber Ann Arbor
Comments
100001095516843
Thu, Dec 16, 2010 : 12:50 p.m.
Rather than dismantling your course and taking on added big $$$ debt, consider a new practical & economical option of saving your Huron Hills GC. Just start using the new hi-performance Hybrid Golf Ball, developed with advanced "Distance-to Weight Technology", improving the overall playing dynamics of the mid-distance golf course. Provides quick, affordable & less-frustrating enjoyable golf and actually attracts more golfers to the course. You want to save the Huron Hills Golf Course? Then try this economical practical alternative...it won't cost you anymore than the price of a Hybrid golf ball!
John Agno
Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 7:36 p.m.
How very short-sighted the mayor and city council are regarding converting the Huron Hills Golf Course into a strip mall and driving range along the parkway and this beautiful recreational property that young and old people alike exercise to keep fit during much of the year. Although a number of the city council members are into careers in property development, it is unfortunate that Ann Arbor residents are quietly allowing the commerical development of this priceless city property. I am told that Miles of Golf is proposing to have the City build, with your tax dollars, a $ 3.2 million commercial golf strip mall on Huron Hills. The interview phase with Miles of Golf is scheduled for this Friday, December 3, 9:30 a.m., in City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor of City Hall, 100 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. The interview will be telecast on CTN. Miles of Golf has sent a mass email encouraging its patrons to attend. Please do not let the City dismantle this parkland for a commercial venture.
charles mancherian
Sun, Nov 21, 2010 : 3:57 p.m.
I understand that the Mayor and City Council are going to use city taxpayer money to help finance a Miles of Golf driving range at Huron Hills. Let'd see, we're spending our city taxes to buy land in the townships, but we're going to fund the elimination of parkland in the city. The Mayor and Council have boarded the ship of fools. Their idea is stupid, illogical and an affront to us city taxpayers. SAVE HURON HILLS!
Stewart Nelson
Wed, Sep 22, 2010 : 1:47 p.m.
I have personally seen both the appraisal and the aerial photo with Huron Hills parcels labeled for sale. There is no doubt that the City was exploring their options and a sale of some or all of the land was considered. ~Stew
Lokalisierung
Tue, Sep 21, 2010 : 1:20 p.m.
"Had it all marked up on maps at City Hall with "for sale" designations. Did not happen because of citizen outrage over the idea." I thought this was untrue. I thought a couple years ago they were getting a vlaue of the land. Where exactly did you see a map marked up with "for sale" signs? That sounds more than a bit strange.
thomas h blaske
Mon, Sep 20, 2010 : 5:37 p.m.
Actually what the City proposed to do a few years ago was to sell all the land to private developers. Had it all marked up on maps at City Hall with "for sale" designations. Did not happen because of citizen outrage over the idea. I do not know if this RFP is stealth effort to do the same, but clearly it is an effort to solve a short term budget problem by doing long term damage to a gem of the City.
burlington
Mon, Sep 20, 2010 : 2:56 p.m.
I agree with you Ann. Mayor and City Council, leave our golf course alone!!
Lokalisierung
Mon, Sep 20, 2010 : 12:29 p.m.
"Contrary to her assertion, City Council never proposed developing any part of Huron Hills a few years ago. It never happened." "The writer's scare tactics are not based on facts. This letter should not have been published." Correct on both counts.
zeeba
Mon, Sep 20, 2010 : 7:38 a.m.
Making the course "pay for itself" most likely means "add beer and liquor sales and power carts," since those are major revenue generators for most carts that the city hasn't allowed HH. Beer sales were added to Leslie Park a few years ago and have significantly increased its revenues. Plans for HH should also include a redesign of the course. It's presently a very bland course with a lot of wasted space in the flat section, and is basically a pitch and putt on the back 9. A driving range wouldn't add much revenue for the land involved and is not something a private partner would consider to add revenue. Finally, anyone who thinks golf is an elitist sport is obviously unaware of all the working class people who flock to public golf courses, which by far make up the majority of golf courses in this state.
MyOpinion
Mon, Sep 20, 2010 : 4:35 a.m.
This opinion piece is sort of odd in its timing, but I think the gist of the piece is correct. The most likely response to the RFP will be for a driving range. Tell me any city that takes land worth $150,000 an acre and turns it into a driving range. The old Liberty driving range was on the outskirts of town. The range was converted into housing when it made economic sense. This golf course can't be converted into housing, so how do we turn it into a profitable park? I'll be interested in seeing the proposals and see how converting a golf course into anything will end up being profitable (including the city overhead fee). There's a lot of expense in developing a parking lot, bulldozing hills, re-seeding/sodding, etc.
braggslaw
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 8:01 p.m.
I am against any golf course, as it adds phosphate, nitrates and herbicides to the watershed.
Brad
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 7:11 p.m.
The RFP may not "call" for a range, but it's well known that there is a business in town who has expressed interest in exactly that. It's parkland, if it can't survive as a golf course then it should just be turned into an extension of Gallup Park.
Lifelong A2
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 6:40 p.m.
There's a more relevant response to this letter: the writer is dead wrong in her summary of the facts. Contrary to her assertion, City Council never proposed developing any part of Huron Hills a few years ago. It never happened. The RFP does not call for a hitting range. Instead, it simply asks for proposals for managing the golf course. The writer's scare tactics are not based on facts. This letter should not have been published.
Stephen Landes
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 5:20 p.m.
Two thoughts fro this discussion: 1) Golf is not an elitist game; it is accessible to all sorts of people from a wide range of backgrounds and conditions. The game is certainly played by professionals, but virtually anyone can experience golf. I am not a golfer, but have caddied for friends in the past. 2) From many things I have read in A2.com I believe that Huron Hills covers its costs, but it doesn't cover all the allocated overhead that the city administration seems to mindlessly spread over everything whether those activities really use all those overhead services or not. I have had experience with this kind of management practice in business and it is lazy -- the easy thing to do. It makes as much sense as charging a homeowner for the cost of operating a fire station for a year because the homeowner made the first call for help in the fiscal year.
javajolt1
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 3:53 p.m.
Why is there a 'Greenspace initiative" to purchase viable lands for a greenbelt around Ann Arbor with taxpayer dollars when we have that same city looking to take beautiful land the taxpayers already own and use for another purpose. That seems counter-intuitive at best.
mike from saline
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 3:19 p.m.
@Bugjuice Golf, an elitist game? not the way I play it.
bugjuice
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 2:42 p.m.
Take a picture of Huron Hills and hang it from your rear view mirror. I find it amusing that people think that "nature" and beauty in Ann Arbor is defined by Huron Hills and so much so that they want to show it off to visitors. I'm sure they say, "Wow! A pretty golf course! I want to live in Ann Arbor!!" Although a much better golf course, few people ever comment about Leslie, probably because they can't see it from the comfort of their car. As a scenic drive, Huron Hills is 20 seconds of manicured lawn seen at 35 mph by a small percentage of people who either live nearby or pass by on their way to work. Paint a picture and put over your sofa if you need to look at manicured grass covered hills with a few trees. Drivers should be paying attention to traffic instead of gawking at the lawn anyway. Golf is an elitist game, wastes valuable urban land, is used sporadically when the weather cooperates and uses massive amounts energy and fertilizer that end up in our waterways. Golf courses are not natural nor are they nature areas. If you want to experience nature, get out of your car and take a walk in the Arboretum or another city park, or better yet spend a little time and money visiting a Michigan State Park. Those stupid condos or apartments might add to the local tax base and create a few construction jobs. But, where, oh where will I get my "nature" fix when I'm driving by in my car?
Jay Thomas
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 1:13 p.m.
This is one of the most scenic drives in the entire city limits; it has always represented Ann Arbor well as a green place in tune with nature. A developer will just build stupid apartments or condos on the lower side by the river. The five million to preserve four farms and developing Huron Hills cannot be reconciled. Anyone in government who was in favor of both NEEDS TO GO.
jcj
Sun, Sep 19, 2010 : 12:19 p.m.
Gotta agree Ann. To get rid of open space we already have is one of the stupidest things this group in office could do. Its just too bad we can't say here what we really think of them!