Brantford city council approves sale of Arrowdale golf course despite neighbourhood opposition

Brantford city council has approved the sale of the Arrowdale golf course with the intention of using the money for affordable housing. 

But it made the decision with a judicial review at its doorstep and with residents raising signs of protest outside of an empty city hall. 

"It felt like it was just this big, echoing symbol of how the city council has been treating us," said Elisabeth Chernichenko, who has lived in Brantford for most of her life and was out there protesting. 

Elite M.D Developments offered $14 million for the near 32 acres of property that the city decided to sell in December. 

Council voted eight to three to accept the amount — which was $1 million under the asking price — on Tuesday night. 

Another 17 acres of property that were part of the course are being reserved for a community park. 

Mayor Kevin Davis says he understands and respects those who disagree with the sale. 

"I want people to understand that this, like all decisions of council, was thoughtfully informed, and genuinely made in the best interest of the community as a whole," he said in a media release. 

Councillors have voted eight to three through each step of moving toward selling the lands. 

Residents previously spoke to CBC News about their concern of losing the green space and a nine-hole course that is popular among seniors, new golfers, and in the winter, toboggoners. 

Their concern about how council came to the decision was so strong that an application for judicial review, filed by Veronica Martisius and Ronald Heaslip, became part of the picture. 

A letter to the mayor and councillors in early June called their decision-making process "misleading" and "rushed" and said it disregarded Indigenous rights. 

Martisius confirmed that it's been accepted by a Toronto Divisional Court, and the parties are in the process of fixing a hearing date. 

In the streamed meeting, Richard Carpenter, who has been a councillor for Ward 4 where the course lies for 25 years, said the loss made it a "terribly sad day" for him. 

He and other councillors acknowledged that there could have been better communication with residents, with Ward 5 councillor Brian Van Tilborg, who voted against the sale, giving council an 'F.' Councillors also said the issue has been dividing the community.

Chernichenko disagreed, saying people just want their voices heard. Martisius said the review is about transparency. 

"Why we're pursuing this judicial review is because we are concerned about the integrity and accountability of municipal decision-making in Brantford," Martisius said. 

A sticky moment during the meeting prompted the city solicitor to say that if it was inappropriate for council to pass a bylaw on the matter, they would've heard from her. 

The group dubbed 'Friends of Arrowdale' dates back to when the course's fate was debated, and saved, in 2016. But this came with a promise from the city not to sell and to invest in a clubhouse, which never panned out. 

So when the city says it will use the funds toward affordable housing, Chernichenko said it's hard to believe, especially when elections can mean new councillors put in place. 

"We're not willing to take them at their word anymore," she said, adding that she can't recall a time when people in Brantford have pushed back so hard.

While no one discounts a need for affordable housing, she said, she doesn't believe there's been substantial planning on where or when this housing will be built. 

"There are places to develop, there are other options that the [city] can take to raise money for affordable housing, but the selling of Arrowdale —  and connecting that issue —  is a complete farce," she said.  

At the meeting, Ward 4 councillor Cheryl Antoski said everyone she's spoken with agrees with needing affordable housing, but felt council didn't look at other options enough. 

She reminded council that the loss of the green space comes in a neighbourhood that "doesn't have a lot."

Carpenter said he understood residents' frustration, and even acknowledged his own, but maintained that "the money will go for affordable housing...that's just the truth of the matter." 

"You're feeling hurt, and you're angry, I'm sure. But we gotta move forward and we must concentrate on bringing our community together," he said. 

Sale will fund 140 households, city says

In a media release, the city says the money will fund three buildings for 140 households. Another 80 to 90 over the next 10 years, it said, will be funded by annual property taxes paid by private development on the land.

Previously, the city said the sale would help fund 470 units of affordable housing, with government funding, non-profit partnerships, tax revenues, and "creative financial planning" contributing for the rest. 

Its housing plan says there is an urgent need to develop 845 affordable units in the next 10 years, with a waiting list that is 1,700 households long. Mayor Davis says council will have to be innovative to address the issue. 

These details were also reported in a video released by the city last week, following an in-camera special council meeting. 

Martisius says this is how residents discovered the sale was going through, because the video came out before the public vote. Then the city agenda, with approval of the sale on the docket, was posted.

"Many people in the community were gobsmacked by this development," Martisius said. 

Davis followed with an almost seven-minute video on his Facebook page, where he spoke about the sale and how the decision was made with those struggling in mind. 

"I think we're all committed to doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people," he said at the meeting. 

Arrowdale, open since 1927, is set to close at the end of the season. 

The company whose offer was selected already has development plans in Brantford, including a 10-storey condominium building in the south-west, residential properties off of Brickett St., and condos by the old train station on Main St. 

Friends of Arrowdale will hold a protest this weekend again, with people socially distancing around the course. It'll run while a golf tournament raises money alongside a Go Fund Me that helps with legal expenses incurred during their fight.