Spa, anyone?With no development moving forward and no interest from the District of Squamish in a park, Squamish developer Doug Day said he is rethinking plans for the former Garibaldi Springs Golf Course.Last year, the previous council put the brakes on Townline Ventures Squamish Ltd.'s proposal to rezone portions of the former course to create 180 small lots and an 80.6-acre park. The project split the 145-acre property into five parcels. As proposed, two of the parcels would be rezoned to allow for park use, while the three others were slated for single-family lots with a minimum lot size of 300 square metres.But to meet traffic requirements of the rezoning and future access to an additional 250 lots Townline owns in Garibaldi Highlands, the company was pushing to rezone a portion of the course for a road to access the Highlands area. Townline Ventures had a purchase option with Day to buy land for the project.With that dead in the water, Day told a crowd at an information meeting on Wednesday (Feb. 22) that he's currently in talks with officials at Executive Suites Garibaldi Springs Resort. Day is toying with the idea of putting a small pitch-and-putt golf course or botanical garden on the property. Looking to drum up business, the hotel is also considering transforming what's now the clubhouse into a high-end spa, Day said."We are right now negotiating with the hotel owner," he said.One thing is sure, Day said: The property will not return to its intended use as an 18-hole golf course. It's unfeasible, he said, as the last owner lost approximately $800,000 from the business."It just doesn't work as a golf course," he said.Day's words were met with criticism. Craig Murphy, who lives next to the property, said Day has used up too much of the community's time with the development proposal. Now it's time to take another look at running the facility as it was meant to be run, Murphy said, adding there are a couple of people interested in buying the golf course for that purpose.With all the property available in Squamish, why should the community lose an outdoor recreation facility to development, Squamish resident Steve Cook asked. Squamish would never be able to replace the golf course once it is lost, he noted.Kelly Burd bought his home overlooking the 12th green. He wants to see golfers on the greens rather than people walking their dogs. If the property is not going to be used for golf, Burd said it should be fenced to stop irresponsible dog owners who don't pick up after their pets.Burd helped build the Executive Suites Hotel and currently has an approximate $60,000 lien against it. If a 18-hole golf course isn't feasible, then a nine-hole course should take its place to help draw people to the hotel, he said."You don't build a hotel this far back from the highway without something to attract people," Burd said.Either a 18-hole or a nine-hole golf course is a money pit and the community needs to look beyond them, Squamish real estate advisor Shawn Wentworth said. Squamish needs a development project to help boost the economy, he said, noting Newport Ridge Drive has been slated as the main connection point between Tantalus Drive and the Thunderbird Creek neighbourhood since 1998."It was made for a commuter road," Wentworth said.The whole proposal has become too personal for too many parties involved, he said. In a decade or so, some kind of development will happen on the property, Wentworth warned. He hopes that by then residents will be able to look at the big picture and come up with a plan that fits the community."I just want to see something positive happen," Wentworth said.
