'We saved Glen Abbey': Minister says Glen Abbey Golf Club owner in Oakville has committed to withdraw development plan and keep golf course
The fight to save Glen Abbey Golf Club appears to be over and the Town of Oakville has won.
Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark issued a statement on Friday, July 9 in which he said he had reached out to Glen Abbey Golf Club owner ClubLink and secured a commitment from its officials to not only withdraw their appeals with the Ontario Land Tribunal, but also to immediately withdraw their plans for development and continue the operation of Glen Abbey as a golf course.
The minister's office said ClubLink withdrew its application at zero cost to the taxpayer.
I am incredibly thankful to ClubLink for its co-operation and for ensuring that this heritage landscape will be protected from development," said Clark.
The minister's statement followed the recent passing of resolutions by both the Town of Oakville and Halton Region asking the government to utilize a range of provincial tools to intervene and protect the property.
Unfortunately, despite good intentions, the resolutions were not clear and left too many variables for outcomes on the table," said Clark.
The minister said he then reached out to ClubLink and secured its commitment not to move ahead with the development plans.
Clark thanked Oakville MPP Stephen Crawford, Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos and Oakville Mayor Rob Burton for their tireless advocacy on the Glen Abbey matter and for their dedicated efforts to work toward a solution for the community.
WE SAVED GLEN ABBEY!!" tweeted Crawford.
Burton said the minister's announcement is precisely what Town council, Halton Regional council and Oakville residents have been working toward for many years.
I want to thank the committed volunteers in the community who worked tirelessly to ensure that the Glen Abbey property was conserved," he said.
The thousands of letters written to the province made a difference and showed how our community is an engaged community."
The mayor said the support from Premier Doug Ford, Clark and Oakville's MPPs cannot be understated in saving Glen Abbey for future generations.
The news was also well received by Bill McKinlay of the Save Glen Abbey Residents' Association.
The group had been advocating for the preservation of the golf course since 2015 when the development plans first became public.
"We're thrilled that the town and the MPP and the government of Ontario were able to work together to save the golf course," said McKinlay.
"It was a real team effort. It has been a long haul."
A call requesting a comment from ClubLink wasn't immediately returned.
Glen Abbey Golf Club owner ClubLink had applied for a zoning change that would allow it to build 3,222 residential units at the 1333 Dorval Dr., site, including nine apartment buildings between nine and 12 storeys.
The company also wanted to build 121,000 square feet of new office and retail space at the site.
Town staff argued that amount of development is not permitted, or appropriate, for the site and would amount to an unplanned growth area.
Oakville council voted unanimously to reject ClubLink's development application for Glen Abbey Golf Course on Sept. 27, 2018 and its demolition application on Feb. 12, 2018.
ClubLink had appealed these decisions to the Ontario Land Tribunal, formally known as the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.
A virtual hearing on this matter was scheduled to begin Aug. 9 and would last for approximately 19 weeks.