The Lakeside Golf Club is facing an uncertain future.
As our newsroom has reported in multiple stories since September 2020, Calgary-based development company Slokker Homes is proposing to rezone and redevelop Chestermere’s 18-hole course into a new residential neighbourhood (see story on page 2).
It’s almost an understatement to say the golf course is struggling financially. As accounting firm MNP found in a recent economic assessment of the golf club’s financial records, Lakeside has operated on a 32 per cent revenue shortfall in the last five years and is hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. In addition to its worsening financial situation, the club has struggled to attract new membership in recent years.
But residents of Chestermere remain adamant the course should not be redeveloped. The Lakeside Greens Preservation Society was formed last fall, and their petition against Slokker Homes’ plans has generated nearly 3,000 signatures – equivalent to about 15 per cent of Chestermere’s entire population.
As some society members have pointed out, the golf course is one of Chestermere’s most notable attractions, apart from the lake it lies right next to. Residents believe Lakeside Golf Club needs new owners to breathe life into the amenity and not make the same business mistakes as the previous owners.
Plus, the society points out there is a fast-growing population in Chestermere, meaning there is the potential for a growth of avid golfers within the community.
Eventually, the course’s fate will come before Chestermere City council, as that is the body that will ultimately decide whether or not to approve Slokker Homes’ application.
Like Rocky View County council has experienced multiple times in the last year, (such as when weighing the pros and cons of a gravel pit application), Chestermere’s local politicians will have a tough decision on their hands. They can either appease a developer and anger thousands of residents, or appease residents and potentially enable a failing business to resume – while driving investment out of the community.
