The new owner of the 145-acre parcel of land that served as the Garibaldi Springs Golf Course until it was shut down last May is putting out feelers for future use of the land and a nine- or an 18-hole golf course is among the possibilities.
Under the company name Garibaldi Springs Properties Ltd., local developer Doug Day issued a request for proposals in last Friday's (Feb. 18) edition of The Chief, seeking "parties interested in operating a public and/or private golf club" on the land.
Day bought the property last fall, a few months after the original ownership group announced it was shutting down the 18-hole, executive-style golf course after six years in operation because the business was losing approximately $500,000 a year.
When the purchase was announced last November, Day said he thought the previous owners' losses on the golf course operation "pretty well proves the point that it doesn't work as an 18-hole golf course."
On Tuesday (Feb. 22), Day said that while he's not a golf person, "They [previous owners] ran it with absentee ownership and they had a huge overhead structure. They were trying to run it like Shaughnessy Golf Club, like a championship course, but I think running it like more of a local hacker golf course might work. And they certainly left it in good shape."
The northern portion of the land is zoned for approximately 10 large homes. Day said that with new home construction in Squamish at a virtual standstill, he doesn't see moving ahead on those properties this year.
The rest of the land is zoned for recreational uses. "Uses could include a nine-hole or 18-hole golf course, a driving range, a golf academy, a water park or a variety of other permitted uses," the RFP states.
The RFP states that the lease tenure for whatever use is chosen would be for up to 10 years and would include use of the 6,000-square-foot clubhouse and maintenance facilities.
Surinder Brar, owner/operator of Rockwell's Bar and Grill inside the nearby Executive Suites Garibaldi Springs, said that while the businesses are entirely separate, he thinks the return of some sort of golf course would be welcomed by both businesses and area residents.
He said the re-opening of some sort of golf course would increase traffic to his business and others nearby.
"The golf course, whether it's a nine-hole or 18-hole, will help business," Brar said. "What the people of Squamish would like to see is a golf course, maybe even a nine-hole one, perhaps with a golf academy where young peple can learn the game.
"I think more than anything else, the townhouse people on both sides of the golf course would be very happy to see a golf course there again. Their values have deteriorated because they bought there knowing that there was a golf course, so I think if Mr. Doug Day turns it into a golf course, I think they would welcome him with open arms they would love him to death and they will support a golf course."
When Day first purchased the property, there was some talk about the possibility of converting at least part of the land into a park, with a focus on the southern portion. Day said he has engaged in preliminary discussions with District of Squamish officials about that prospect.
"We bought [the property] for a long-term investment, not necessarily for immediate development," he said. "We're looking at possible parks uses we've had some discussions with the district, but these things take time."
Day said he's not optimistic about Squamish real estate values in the short term "half the developers in town are going broke," he said but he's bullish about long-term prospects.
He said he views his purchase of the Garibaldi Springs land as a "long-term hold situation," adding, "Eventually the rest of the world is going to figure out that Squamish is a half hour's drive from West Vancouver along a beautiful highway."
