TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. — The Town of Tonawanda has proposed a plan to cut down the Brighton Park Golf Course from 18 to 12 holes in an effort to create more housing.
Over the last 50 years, the town has seen its population drop by almost 40,000 and attributes that decrease to a lack of new properties to lure in new families.
In an effort to create approximately 100 to 150 new homes, Tonawanda town supervisor Joseph Emminger told 2 On Your Side that the town is turning to one of its two golf courses for a solution.
The town hopes to turn part of the course just across from Brompton Road into new homes. Due to the popularization of 12-hole courses by golfer Jack Nicklaus and the fact that the town has another 18-hole course, it isn’t concerned about the change.
“Well, it's much more than a golf course proposal,” Emminger said. “We have no land for residential development in our town, plain and simple.”
However, others such as councilmember Carl Szarek are concerned the cost for growth in this plan could be too much.
“Tonawanda is known for its recreation facilities,” he said. “We have more recreation facilities than any other town in Western New York and maybe any other town in upstate New York and don't want to lose that reputation.”
The town supervisor said they won’t lose that reputation because the plan also includes acquiring the 65-acre Cherry Farm landfill on the Niagara River to create a waterfront park — something the town has wanted for 30 years.
“We’re not losing any green space. We're not losing one acre of green space,” he said. “All we're doing is swapping.”
The plans are also not yet final. They are still nearly two years down the road.
The golf course will not be changed until the Cherry Farm landfill is leased from owner National Grid and the course is tested for pesticides and proven to be livable.
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