In a property deal with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission, the owner/operator of Bandon Dunes will receive the land to build a 27-hole walking golf course. The new property is not adjacent to Bandon’s existing five golf courses, and is intended to appeal to local players and be used as a teaching course.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission has voted to complete a property deal with Bandon Biota, which operates the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the southern Oregon coast, the Portland-based Oregonian reported.
The exchange affects a portion of the Bandon State Natural Area in Coos County, which is plagued by the invasive species gorse. Under the exchange, 280 inland acres of the 878-acre property would be traded to Bandon Biota for a future golf course, the Oregonian reported.
The state park system would gain 111 acres of adjacent oceanfront property, 97 acres of wetland property on the Coquille Spit north of Bandon, $300,000 in cash to control gorse on state park property, $450,000 to satisfy a required match for a federal grant to purchase 11 acres at Whale Cove on the coast in Lincoln County, and $2.5 million to purchase an unidentified major new state park property, the Oregonian reported.
Bandon Biota plans to build a 27-whole walking golf course on the land it acquires. This location is not adjacent to its existing five golf courses, which draw golfers from around the world. The new course would allow more access to local players, said Hank Hickox, General Manager and vice president, and would be used as a teaching course for local youth, the Oregonian reported.
With the commission’s action, the proposal now moves to the federal Bureau of Land Management for the next step. The portion of the Bandon State Natural Area included in the exchange originated with the federal government. It was sold to the state on condition the property remain open to public outdoor recreation. This condition must be removed before the property can be transferred to Bandon Biota, a process which could take several months or longer, the Oregonian reported.
The proposed golf course would offer public recreation (as do all the Bandon Dunes courses), but it would be privately owned, the Oregonian reported.
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