Time for mayor to make real effort

Dear Editor:

Did the city of Kelowna really make a major effort to buy Kelowna Springs Golf Course? I don’t think so.

Maybe Denciti really rebuffed the city of Kelowna’s offer to purchase Kelowna Springs (“City rebuffed in bid to buy golf course”, Dec. 11) but how much did the city offer? Half price?

We don’t know. Why is this a concern? Mayor Tom Dyas stated that if Denciti Developments submitted an application for industrial development, “council will evaluate it with the upmost care…” What message does that send to the developer? That the city will consider industrial development.

If the city said “we are not going to rezone this golf course” what would the developer do? Cut his losses and sell it to the city, of course, at say $30 million (what he paid) plus interest, etc. Why would a developer hold onto a property if he/she couldn’t do what he/she wanted?

As noted in the article, there was a big hue and cry from the public when they got wind of what the city was up to so this became a 2022 election issue. Mayor Dyas said he would “fight to save Kelowna Springs if he became mayor” – he did. Where is the “fight” now?

We now know more about the importance of Kelowna Springs especially its flood protection of the adjacent agricultural land and the downstream infrastructure including the airport which the City is spending millions of dollars on. This flood protection has been described numerous times including recently (“Water issue at golf courses”, Dec 11,). Why would the city even take a chance?

The City of Kelowna doesn’t have a municipal golf course that would serve the public and tourism alike. It could purchase Kelowna Springs using a part of the September 2024 budget of $358 million for new parks.

If Denciti Development doesn’t want to negotiate, the city has the option of expropriating Kelowna Springs at fair market value of say $6 million without the owner’s consent…to protect city infrastructure from flooding. Would Denciti sell if he thought the city might expropriate the land in the best interests of the city? Of course.

It is time for the mayor to make a real effort to acquire Kelowna Springs and confirm to the owner the city is serious about this. As a municipal golf course, this sensitive green space will be an asset to the city, including the residents of Kelowna.

Susan Ames, PhD, MSc, BSc

Kelowna