Several amounts have been claimed as appropriate for the purchase of the Lanier Golf Course in Forsyth County. None of those values matter, because our county government has no business buying it. Just because we have some money available from the parks, recreation and green space bond doesn’t mean we have to spend it.
And what would Forsyth County taxpayers get for spending $12 million? A golf course that’s already there less the tennis courts and swimming pool.
The purchase and operation of this golf course should be left to private enterprises to transact in our free market system.
When government gets involved in an optional purchase like this things get distorted, like pretending the value is not a golf course but some highest and best use at some future date. And why lease the property as a golf course for 99 years when it’s not expected to exist as a golf course for a fraction of that time?
Our county rightly denied the request to rezone this site as a master planned district in 2007. That action stopped a proposed sale of the property to private investors who planned to develop it into something other than a golf course. Those people should be grateful to Forsyth County Government for preventing another bankrupt, stovepipe development failure in our county. We deserve their thanks instead of the lawsuit which Forsyth County should win.
Tony Gardner
Cumming
And what would Forsyth County taxpayers get for spending $12 million? A golf course that’s already there less the tennis courts and swimming pool.
The purchase and operation of this golf course should be left to private enterprises to transact in our free market system.
When government gets involved in an optional purchase like this things get distorted, like pretending the value is not a golf course but some highest and best use at some future date. And why lease the property as a golf course for 99 years when it’s not expected to exist as a golf course for a fraction of that time?
Our county rightly denied the request to rezone this site as a master planned district in 2007. That action stopped a proposed sale of the property to private investors who planned to develop it into something other than a golf course. Those people should be grateful to Forsyth County Government for preventing another bankrupt, stovepipe development failure in our county. We deserve their thanks instead of the lawsuit which Forsyth County should win.
Tony Gardner
Cumming