City council decides to purchase abandoned Cape golf course

Cape Coral council members came to a consensus Monday night about the future of an abandoned golf course.

They voted to allow the city manager to explore purchasing the 175-acre plot of land.

Barth Wolf lives next to the property and he’s been leading the charge to keep development away from the area.

“We were thrilled with how the meeting went,” he said.

Wolf was one of dozens of neighbors who came out to the meeting to protest possible construction of 500 single family homes right in their own backyards.

“We don’t need any more homes in this part of the Cape,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for the city now to really invest in this property and make it something great for the whole city.”

The parcel comes with a $12 million price tag. The issue now is to figure out how to pay for the land.

Options include taking out a bank loan or selling off other city properties. The city manager even put selling controversial Seven Islands development on the table.

Wolf says he’s open to anything as long as the property stays out of developer’s hands.

The next step is for the city manager to start getting appraisals for the property and to work with the property owner. That could start as early as next week. The next council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 15.

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