After being presented with two options, the Port Townsend City Council unanimously agreed to develop a new, third alternative plan for the Port Townsend Golf Course after a nearly five-hour public hearing and deliberation period Monday night.

The majority of community members who spoke at the meeting were in favor of keeping the golf course as is, though several were in favor of a hybrid option; part golf course, part public park.

For those in favor of keeping the golf course, concerns included losing a 100-year-old piece of Port Townsend history, as well as student golf and scholarship opportunities.

Those in favor of the hybrid option were worried that changing the layout of the golf course, such as moving holes and potentially removing the driving range, would be disruptive. Many feel, however, that not enough individual golfers use the course to warrant keeping it the way it is.

As Mayor David Faber pointed out: “If we were given this land today, there is no way we would even consider making it into a golf course. The only reason it’s a consideration is because that is what it’s been for the last 100 years. But what is the best use of the land for the next 100 years?”

This conversation has been ongoing for three years.

It began in early 2020, when the council decided to issue a request for a proposal, enter into a three-year operational agreement, and engage the community in discussion about alternative uses.

Later, in November 2020, the council unanimously voted to authorize the city manager to pursue continued golf services for three years, using this time to investigate alternative use concepts for feasibility.

“There were infinite options at the start that were winnowed down to four, then down to two: A central park or a hybrid golf course,” City Manager John Mauro said Tuesday.

At the Monday night meeting, the financing for these two options were compared side by side. Not including sales tax, testing, engineering, design, construction management, or permitting, the “central park” option would cost
$5.3 million in total, and the hybrid golf course would cost $4.4 million.

For the central park, the total grant request was
$3.9 million, and the city would match it by $1.4 million. Operational costs were estimated to work out to $90,000 a year over 19 years.

The hybrid golf course had a grant request of $3.3 million, with the city matching at $1.2 million. Operational costs were projected to cost $60,000 a year over 15 years.

The council was divided in terms of one clear step forward based on the hybrid option, central park option, or leaving the golf course be.

Based on the wealth of feedback from a variety of sources, the council has deemed it necessary to keep exploring different possibilities.

“We were trying to help take infinite options and huge public engagement with varied perspectives down to something manageable that weighed tradeoffs, incompatibilities, opportunities, and synergies. What I think we saw last night was an interest in a majority to look deeper at an option based on their stated set of priorities,” Mauro said.

“No matter the outcome, a lot has happened to get to this point,” he added. “One thing is irrefutable: We’ve given it a good try.”