The Portland (Ore.) City Council agreed to purchase the property in a $5 million deal, with plans to develop a park and natural area. The city plans to keep half of the property’s 18 holes running in the interim, which should generate enough revenue to pay operating expenses.
On March 19, the Portland (Ore.) City Council signed off on a $5 million deal to purchase 85 acres of property at Colwood National Golf Course for a future park and natural area, the Portland-based Oregonian reported.
The Colwood property joins the 25-acre Thomas Cully Park as dedicated parkland in the neighborhood. Thanks to a rezoning of the property last fall, the northern 35 acres of the golf course will be rezoned for industrial use. Last fall, City Council approved the zoning change, dedicating the southern chunk of land to open space. At the time, Mayor Charlie Hales described the proposal as “a land use miracle,” the Oregonian reported.
Portland will buy the 85 acres from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. Parks system development charges, the fees charged on construction projects, account for $4.5 million of the purchase price. The remaining $500,000 comes from the Bureau of Environmental Services, which is chipping in because restoration work on site is expected to produce “significant water quality and drainage way benefits,” the Oregonian reported.
Wednesday’s vote is the culmination of 20 years of neighborhood planning, according to city documents. In 2008, the City Council unanimously voted down a previous plan to rezone the entire golf course for industrial use, the Oregonian reported.
Commissioner Amanda Fritz called the plan a “great investment in a neighborhood that is deserving.” The city is getting an “absolute bargain” on the land, she said, adding that it was appraised at $10 million, the Oregonian reported.
The city will look to keep half of Colwood’s 18 holes running in the interim, Fritz said. City documents say 48 of the acres will remain a golf course, which will generate revenue to pay operating expenses. The remaining acreage for a natural area will cost $85,800 per year in operating expenses, the Oregonian reported.
The city will host a meeting on April 29 to discuss next steps, the Oregonian reported.
Portland will also have to produce a master plan for the property. “We don’t have the funding for that right now,” Fritz said.
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