City invites community engagement for future of PT golf course, Mountain View Commons

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The city of Port Townsend is inviting the community to share their thoughts and opinions on the future of the Port Townsend Golf Course and Mountain View Commons on Blaine Street.

The process starts with an initial stakeholder meeting from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29 in council chambers at City Hall.

The stakeholders committee, a staff advisory committee, is made up of 20 people selected from tenants at Mountain View Commons, the Port Townsend Golf Club, and community members who are interested in the project and approached the city to join the committee.

They will be charged with being the eyes and ears for this process, assuring a diverse representation of the community, and helping to integrate the community input, options, and tradeoffs with the staff and the consultants, according to the city.

The culmination of public involvement will result in a decision from Port Townsend City Council on what to do with the golf course and Mountain View properties.

“We are excited to launch this effort and look forward to hearing the community’s thoughts and ideas,” said City Manager John Mauro. “There are no predetermined decisions about these valued community assets, and we are very eager to engage a wide representation of our community to think through how to make the most of our public space.”

Back in early 2020, the city council directed city staff to pursue a two-pronged approach to managing the golf course by issuing a request for proposals and enter into a three-year operational agreement and engage the community in discussion about alternative uses.

In November 2020, the city council voted to pursue continued golf services for three years while also investigating alternative use concepts for the course while developing and refining broad community involvement in the property’s future.

The city recently developed a framework for a community discussion to explore the long-term vision for the golf course.

Results showed limited use of the golf course and interested in golf in general, according to the city. While most survey respondents didn’t have an opinion on the operation, investment, or use of the golf course, those who did have an opinion mostly did not want to make capital investments, set a cost recovery policy, or explore partnership options.

For those with an opinion, most did not want the city to stop operating the golf course.

At previous Under the Tent events hosted by the Housing Solutions Network, the subject of the golf course contract has been a hot topic.

Some of those in attendance have advocated that the city should use the land to build affordable housing.

The city council discussed the future use of the golf course on June 13, and has since hired Groundswell Landscape Architecture to assist with the project.