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Old 10-01-2014, 06:34 PM
 
63 posts, read 116,959 times
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ROYAL OAK (WWJ) Should Royal Oak sell part of Normandy Oaks Golf Club to make way for new development? Residents get their chance to sound off tonight at a public hearing on the issue...
If the golf course is losing $90,000/year, I can understand the desire to sell it off. Still though, all open green space is a thing of beauty and should be maintained if at all possible, I believe.

The decision will be on the ballot in November. I just don't know which way to go on this. My heart says keep the golf course green and pristine, but my head understands the desire to sell it, which could net the city $4-5 million dollars.
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Old 10-01-2014, 07:23 PM
 
Location: Michigan
4,647 posts, read 8,572,798 times
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There's another golf course right across the street from it.
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Old 10-02-2014, 10:09 AM
 
1,317 posts, read 1,929,948 times
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I live right by the course actually.

This plan first surfaced last year, and they were going to not open the course this year. However at the time they had no plan for what do to with the property, so they decided to keep the course open for 2014 season and come up with a plan this year. The reasoning was that they couldn't just leave the property unmaintained for 2014. Once you stop maintaining it as a golf course, it takes a lot of work to get it back into condition. They were still going to have to mow it, but with no plan it wouldn't have been used for anything.

The current plan it to sell off the land that borders the surrounding streets for residental development, losing about 25% of the park land. The other 75% would become a city park. Actually, Oakland County expressed an interest in using the land as a County park but Royal Oak would rather get the tax dollars from selling some land for residential use.

The fact is there is another 9 hole course in the city that is in better condition and gets better use. Normandy Oaks pretty medicore as municipal course go, its empty 80% of the time, and has no use for anyone during the winter months.

I liked the City Park plan for adding picnic shelters, a walking/biking track, athletic fields, and maintaining most of the trees on the course. They would keep access to the park off of Normandy Road.

I am glad they do not intend to get rid of it altogether as there is such a lack of greenspace in the inner ring suburbs and once its gone, its gone.
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Old 10-02-2014, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Michigan
4,647 posts, read 8,572,798 times
Reputation: 3775
Oakland County overall seems to have very much a lack of greenspace considering how developed and dense it is. There's the lakes, but they seem more for private use rather than public use. There's really no equivalent to River Rouge Park or Hines Drive or even a Palmer Park equivalent. It seems odd with all the wealth of Oakland County that there hasn't been a park created in a similar passion.
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Old 10-02-2014, 06:07 PM
 
Location: North of Canada, but not the Arctic
21,085 posts, read 19,587,195 times
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If people aren't using them, they should be closed. I live in Eastpointe, which used to have 2 golf courses. Once the "golfing class" moves out, there is no reason to keep them open.

They're environmental disasters anyway.
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Old 10-04-2014, 07:46 PM
 
1,317 posts, read 1,929,948 times
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The whole demographics and demand patterns for the golf industry have changed significantly since when these courses were build. Also the demographicns of Royal Oak have changed too.

The demand in Royal Oak for mediocre municipal golf courses has waned. The biggest demand for Normandy Oaks is from the retirees and a few womens golf leagues. The days of very Joe-Schome cutting out of work early for their weekly golf league is over. This just doesn't happen in this day and era. The golf industry is struggling to get and keep new people into the game. People either don't have the time, or don't have the money.

Royal Oak is no different. The older retirees are getting older, and portions of the city continue to get younger.

The numbers don't lie they don't have the number of rounds to justify 2 seperate 9 hole courses when one would suffice. They intend to keep the Royal Oak Golf Course/Club which is the better of the two.

Royal Oak could use another larger park, they could use the green space that could appeal to a broader range of people.
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Old 10-04-2014, 10:49 PM
 
1,636 posts, read 2,133,668 times
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I actually think that the area should be turned into another downtown area. If you look at the amtrak rail line, it goes right next to it. Imagine, if this rail line was turned into a metro system which would connect downtown Pontiac, Birmingham, Normandy, Royal Oak, and Ferndale.
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Old 10-18-2014, 06:10 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,183 times
Reputation: 10
Republic of Michigan-
Do you mean another downtown that lost twelve long- time businesses, while bars and liquor licenses flourish? No thanks. I live one block from the golf course and enjoy one of the few green spaces left in the City. Would love it if they tore down the fence and started a garden club, nature walks, educational programs or conservation program like they have at Tenhave.
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