The 100 acres of prime land that make up the municipal golf course occupy 5 percent of the city’s area and costs around $3 million per year to operate, yet nets well under $100,000 in profits.
There are already over two dozen other golf courses in Monterey County. Pacific Grove should bulldoze the city course and put in housing, permanently owned by the city..
Housing eh? What about something more revenue generating?
With the housing market in the tank, I don’t think that housing is such a good idea. I have a much better idea. Why not remove the golf course and put in a Las Vegas-style casino with neon lighting, 24/7 nightclubs, a 12-story hotel and all the latest games and slots. Just think about the kinds of folks who would drive, fly, bus or thumb their way to P.G. to gamble and to party.
I had that idea a few years back, along with Six Flags Over Asilomar and the John Denver Ocean View RV Park.
You must not have actually read Snyder’s letter. His calculation was that rentals on golf course land would bring in $12 million per year.