Changes with Amherst golf courses

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

An interesting public/private partnership looks like it might happen.

The TOA is going to explore having a private company run the towns 3 golf courses. The courses have been operating at a net loss – about $2 million over the past 10 years – prompting officials to seek proposals from private companies interested in operating and managing the three. Amherst-based Value Turf is negotiate with the town.

On one side:
The courses would no longer be taken care of by the highway department, which IIRC is a big reason for the net loss. It's also a reason, personal opinion here, that the courses are so poorly viewed by golfers. It's simply too expensive and not a good enough product. Instead, Value Turf plans to hire the former golf course superintendent at the Westwood Country Club to oversee day-to-day moving, maintenance and improvements and plans to hire one part-time and two full-time employees to maintain Oakwood and another six to eight full-time seasonal employees for Audubon and the Par 3.

On the other side:
Odds are that Value Turf in exchange for managing the course will increase the greens fees on the course. The numbers I could find were between $31 and $33 per round on the weekend with a cart. For those who do not golf...that's really really cheap compared to most good courses but about right for average public courses.


What's the catch:
Well there is always going to be people who ask questions like "Why is Amherst in the golf business anyways?" and "If golfers want to golf, let them pay for it!", which are valid points. But here is the catch. Just what are people going to say if Value Turf turns Audubon around? What if VT gets a 10 year deal on the course and goes in an invests a ton of money to then warrant charging greens fees that are $50-$60 per round? What if they make improvements to the driving range, say by adding outdoor eating and a bar that serves beer? Would these same people turn around after 10 years and say the course belongs to the town residents and I want my golf to be subsidizes? Of course an alternative is for the town to sell the courses to a developer or convert the courses to park space but that's another conversation.

[NY The Vampire State]

Town needs to sell the property and get out of the golf course business, something it should have never been involved with in the first place. What's next, movie theaters? Mini golf? Go kart track? Absurd!

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Town needs to sell the property and get out of the golf course business, something it should have never been involved with in the first place. What's next, movie theaters? Mini golf? Go kart track? Absurd!

So you want the town to sell the property but to whom and for what?

Say they sell all of the course to a developer. That developer is going to want to turn around and build everything from homes to commercial. Does that reality mesh with what residents of the town wants?

If commercial or office, just what impact does allowing new office parks to be built have on the existing parts that are becoming vacant in north Amherst? If residential, just what stress does that add to the infrastructure, schools and police department.

Did you actually take the 30 seconds to things this through or did you just post without thinking?

[NY The Vampire State]

So you want the town to sell the property but to whom and for what?

Sell it to the highest bidder... you know, like how everyone else sells property. This ain't rocket science.

Say they sell all of the course to a developer. That developer is going to want to turn around and build everything from homes to commercial. Does that reality mesh with what residents of the town wants?

Say they sell it to someone who wants to run the existing golf course.

Say they parcel off the frontage for individual homes, that could work real well for Oakwood on Tonawanda Creek.

What are you so scared of? You live on the other side of the country. Housing is in demand in the outer suburbs. These town boards and planning boards have a stringent and grueling process for everyone from developers to the poor guy who wants to put up a pole barn.

If commercial or office, just what impact does allowing new office parks to be built have on the existing parts that are becoming vacant in north Amherst?

What office space is vacant in N. Amherst?
Crosspoint is booming and Creekside/ Pine view looks pretty full too. The only stuff I see vacant is Benderson and that's because its overpriced crap with lousy services. Bevalaqua put that mixed commercial with residential on top at N French and Transit and its full. They are putting up another building around the corner. When was the last time you were around here?

If residential, just what stress does that add to the infrastructure, schools and police department.

I guess they better stop pissing all the property tax money away on medicaid and FIX THE ROADS!

Did you actually take the 30 seconds to things this through or did you just post without thinking?

Jeez, who pissed in your bowl of paint chips this morning? Not everyone can be as great as you, the self anointed King of Speakup.


Why does government have to be in the entertainment business? It's just like the handouts the stupid Bills get along with a stadium at OUR expense. If you think it "stimulates" the economy you're a fool. Let's face it, there are plenty of privatly owned golf courses that can do it better than Government Inc., and that's why they're booked full on the weekends.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Sell it to the highest bidder... you know, like how everyone else sells property. This ain't rocket science.

So if someone wanted to build a tire factory...you would be ok with that? Puddle.

Housing is in demand in the outer suburbs.

What office space is vacant in N. Amherst?

This statement and question show you have very little understanding of the Amherst real estate market.

[NY The Vampire State]

So if someone wanted to build a tire factory...you would be ok with that? Puddle.

If I have 100 acres on the market in Clarence in a residential/ agriculture neighborhood Mr Dunlop is going to do his homework and see that the zoning prohibits his tire factory. The town can zone it whatever it wants prior to the sale to dictate what its use will be. No one is building tire factories, you're being ridiculous.

This statement and question show you have very little understanding of the Amherst real estate market.

No, you said there was vacant office space in N. Amherst. I asked where. So I'll ask again... What office space is vacant in N. Amherst?