Cape Coral officials to debate future of abandoned golf course

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An abandoned golf course sits right off Palm Tree Blvd in Cape Coral. But the plan for the 175-acre property is in flux.

The site is once again at the center of a heated debate. On Monday, the Cape mayor and council will talk about their options with the golf course—left abandoned for over a decade.

But not everyone thinks buying the land is the best decision.

“Spending $12 million is really for the benefit of about 400 people,” said Rana Erbrick.

Erbrick is a former Cape council member and says spending that much would be a bad move.

“It is going to be $1 million or more just to maintain it. So now what do we do after that? We’re going to want to develop it…that costs money,” Erbrick said.

If the city doesn’t decide to buy the land, the Cape city manager says the property owner—Ryan Company—would then move forward with an amendment letting them build up to 500 single family homes on the property.

Barth Wolf, who lives on the golf course, is against that option.

“Let’s support the city in purchasing it and then work the process to see what it becomes in the future,” Wolf said. “I hope that they step back and think carefully of the future of the city as a whole. Not just appeasing a small group of people who live around that golf course.”

Monday’s conversation will be 12 years in the making. The mayor and council will discuss the course Monday at 4:30 at City Hall on Cultural Park Blvd.

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