The Rules and Operations Committee of the Pierce County Council will hold a special evening meeting to hear public testimony regarding the proposed golf course development at the Chambers Creek Properties. All council members have been invited to participate in this expanded committee meeting.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 15, in the Environmental Services Building, 9850 64th St. W., University Place.
At issue is Proposal No. R2004-68, which is being considered by the Rules and Operations Committee. The proposed resolution would authorize the Public Works and Utilities Department to proceed with design of the Chambers Creek Golf Course, using more than $1 million in the 2004 budget and designated for that purpose. The budget item contains a proviso requiring council approval before the expenditure can be made.
Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg earlier this year selected the Robert Trent Jones II golf course architectural firm of Palo Alto, Calif., to design a world-class destination golf course aimed at attracting golfing tourists from throughout the U.S. and capable of hosting championship PGA and United States Golf Association (amateur) tournaments.
The golf course is proposed in the Chambers Creek Properties Master Plan, which was approved by the Pierce County Council and the University Place and Lakewood city councils.
However, Pierce County Council Chair Harold Moss said that because the proposed golf course involves a much larger financial investment than was envisioned in the Master Plan, the project needs to be scrutinized by the council.
This council would be remiss if it did not exercise due diligence to make sure this is the right time to build the proposed golf course, Moss said. While this proposal may be an excellent revenue source for further development of the Chambers Creek Properties, we owe it to the sewer utility ratepayers and the citizens of Pierce County to make sure the risks are minimal. The executive, as well as the council, wants as much public input into this proposed plan as possible.
The special evening meeting was scheduled to ensure all citizens had the opportunity to present their views on the executive’s proposal.
