Out of the Rough: How Can Municipalities Better Utilize Their Golf Course Lands?

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Out of the Rough: How Can Municipalities Better Utilize Their Golf Course Lands? OUT OF THE ROUGH: HOW CAN MUNICIPALITIES BETTER UTILIZE THEIR GOLF COURSE LANDS? By Darcy James Watt Bachelor of Arts Honours, Laurentian University, 2017 A Major Research Paper presented to Ryerson University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Planning In Urban Development Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2019 © Darcy James Watt 2019 Author’s Declaration for Electronic Submission of a MRP I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this MRP. This is a true copy of the MRP, including any required final revisions. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this MRP to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this MRP by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my MRP may be made electronically available to the public. i OUT OF THE ROUGH: HOW CAN MUNICIPALITIES BETTER UTILIZE THEIR GOLF COURSE LANDS? © Darcy James Watt, 2019 Master of Planning In Urban Development Ryerson University ABSTRACT Golf has declined in recent years as younger generations fail to take up the sport leaving many municipally-owned golf courses in financial trouble. As cities face numerous growing challenges such as housing, public transit and the lack of public greenspaces, closing municipal golf courses has been touted as a possible solution. While municipal golf courses are open to the public, barriers to entry such as a dress code and green fees have left them inaccessible to many residents making them not truly public spaces. Municipal golf courses however do have benefits such as providing an affordable golfing experience in an urban setting. This research paper will look at how municipalities can better utilize their golf course lands with a focus on two City of Toronto municipal golf courses: Scarlett Woods Golf Course and Dentonia Park Golf Course. This paper highlights the different options cites could employ to adapt their golf facilities. Key Words: golf, golf courses, parks and recreation, Toronto, redevelopment, adaptation, parks and physical activity, Scarlett Woods, Dentonia Park, ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Mitchell Kosny for his guidance and support throughout the writing of this paper. I would also like to thank Bruce McCall-Richmond for his assistance as my second reader. His insight and feedback were extremely valuable to this paper. I would also like to thank all my friends and family for their support and in particular my parents David and Gwen and my sister Vanessa. Your unconditional love and support has allowed me to chase my goals and dreams and I truly love the three of you more than you could ever know. iii Contents 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Overview of the Golf Industry and Golf in Toronto ............................................................. 5 2.1 The History and Current State of Golf in the Greater Toronto Area ................................ 5 2.2 Current state of City of Toronto Golf Operations ............................................................. 8 2.3 Overview of Golf Course Redevelopment in the Greater Toronto Area ........................ 10 3.0 Examination of Golf Course Adaptation and Redevelopment Options .............................. 12 3.1 Reuse ............................................................................................................................... 12 3.2 Conversion to Park or Natural Greenspace ..................................................................... 15 3.3 Redevelopment ............................................................................................................... 19 4.0: Additional Precedents ........................................................................................................ 21 5.0 Best Practices ...................................................................................................................... 29 5.1 Framework ...................................................................................................................... 31 6.0 Case Studies of City of Toronto Municipal Golf Courses .................................................. 34 6.1 Scarlett Woods Golf Course Context .............................................................................. 34 6.1.1 Site Context .................................................................................................................. 36 6.1.2 Planning Context .......................................................................................................... 37 6.1.3 Reuse Scenario ............................................................................................................. 39 6.1.4 Conversion Scenario .................................................................................................... 42 6.1.5 Redevelopment Scenario ............................................................................................. 44 6.1.6 Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 48 6.2 Dentonia Park Golf Course Context ............................................................................... 51 6.2.1 Site Context .................................................................................................................. 52 6.2.2 Planning Context .......................................................................................................... 53 6.2.3 Reuse Scenario ............................................................................................................. 56 6.2.4 Conversion Scenario .................................................................................................... 56 6.2.5 Redevelopment Scenario ............................................................................................. 59 6.2.6 Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 62 7.0 Conclusions and Final Recommendations ...................................................................... 64 References ............................................................................................................................. 84 iv Tables Table 1 ……………………………………………………………………………...………….. 33 v Figures Figure 1: ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Figure 2: ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Figure 3: ........................................................................................................................................ 17 Figure 4: ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Figure 5: ........................................................................................................................................ 23 Figure 6: ........................................................................................................................................ 25 Figure 7: ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Figure 8: ........................................................................................................................................ 35 Figure 9: ........................................................................................................................................ 38 Figure 10: ...................................................................................................................................... 40 Figure 11: ...................................................................................................................................... 42 Figure 12: ...................................................................................................................................... 43 Figure 13: ...................................................................................................................................... 45 Figure 14: ...................................................................................................................................... 46 Figure 15: ...................................................................................................................................... 48 Figure 16: ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Figure 17: ...................................................................................................................................... 55 Figure 18: ...................................................................................................................................... 55 Figure 19: ...................................................................................................................................... 57 Figure 20: ...................................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 21: .....................................................................................................................................
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