Lionhead developer Iggy Kaneff
Lionhead Golf developer Iggy Kaneff’s project on Caledon, which I understood to be moving forward with construction this summer, has run into some trouble off the tee, it would seem.
According to the Caledon Citizen, Kaneff’s proposed 27-hole course on land near the town of Caledon (and just down the road from Devil’s Pulpit) is facing opposition from citizens who say there are enough courses in the area, as well as the standard issues with environmental concerns:
The Kaneff golf course proposal near Inglewood has attracted lots of attention.
That was made clear Tuesday night by the number of people who crowded into the Inglewood Community Centre for a public open house on the proposal.
Kaneff Properties Limited is proposing an 18-hole golf course on roughly 310 acres. The site takes up parts of Lots 1, 2 and 3, Concession 1, in east Caledon. This is part of a parcel of land that’s bordered by Highway 10, the Caledon Trailway, Kennedy Road and Olde Base Line Road.
Town planners estimated at least 50 people were on hand for the session, and some of those were not too impressed with the idea.“We’ve got 10 golf courses,” neighbouring resident Barb Shaughnessy declared. “Why do we need another?”
That’s indeed a good question, one I asked earlier this year. And we certainly don’t need another Kaneff course designed my Ted Baker…
Kaneff, who apparently turned up at the meeting, seems determined to move forward:
Ignat (Iggy) Kaneff said the property used to be a farm, and that he bought it about seven years ago.
He added he was hoping to see 27 golf holes on the site, but the proposal has been scaled back.
“We hope to have a beautiful course,” he said, adding it will be a public facility, complete with a club house and between 80 and 100 guest houses. “It’s going to be a good project for the community. We’re going to employ about 60 people.”
The northwest corner of the property includes lands and a woodlot on the Niagara Escarpment.
That said, some of the comments by nearby residents sound a little nutty:
Shaughnessy had a number of concerns, pointing out the land is over a large aquifer, so she’s worried about possible pollution. As well, she said the land had been farmed continuously for about 150 years, and she didn’t like the idea of taking it out of production. She added that accounts for about half the prime agricultural land in Ward 1
Access to the site is slated to be off Kennedy Road. Shaughnessy said that stretch of road currently sees about 160 cars per day, and she feared that number will be upwards of 3,000 if a golf course goes in. She added there have been five traffic fatalities in the area in the last nine years.
She was also concerned about the prospect of guest houses, as opposed to a hotel, wondering how many beds will be in a guest house.
Broll explained “guest house” reflects the terminology used in the Town’s zoning bylaw. “Essentially, this is a hotel,” he said.
“I don’t think we need any more golf courses,” Shaughnessy concluded. “I think we should look after the land for future farmers.”
Did I read that correctly? She said 3,000 cars? How many people does she think are coming to a golf course each day? If there are 3,000 cars this will be the most successful course in history, not another artistic and commercial failure, which is what I anticipate…
