Nelson city council is moving ahead with a permissive tax exemption (PTE) for Granite Pointe Golf Course, while also planning a broader discussion about the future of the golf course lands.
Council gave first, second and third readings Tuesday to a new permissive tax exemption bylaw that would extend the Granite Pointe Golf and Recreation Society’s exemption through 2028. The bylaw will return to council at a later meeting for final approval.
The exemption is worth about $5,300 in taxes.
Councillor Rik Logtenberg questioned the renewal, suggesting the city has a broader discussion about the property first instead.
Logtenberg said golf-course properties are already assessed at a lower value than they could be under other potential uses, such as residential or mixed-use development. He challenged whether it made sense to provide an additional tax exemption.
“In my mind, what I was looking for and continue to look for is a discussion about the highest and best use of the land.”
He said that could still mean keeping the golf course, but suggested council consider whether other uses could make better use of the property.
“It could be a, still a golf course, that might actually work, and especially with a productive conversation with the society. We might even improve how the public can access the land,” he said.
He also questioned whether the golf course should be viewed in the same way as publicly accessible parkland, noting access to the property can be restricted.
Councillor Jesse Pineiro agreed that council should have a broader conversation about the property before the next major review of the PTE.
“It’d be nice to have an opportunity to meet before that happens and kind of get our ducks in a row about not only what this exemption means in the present iteration, but also what it could mean in the future,” Pineiro said.
Pineiro said that discussion doesn’t necessarily mean the golf course would change.
“Maybe nothing changes. I mean, it’s been a golf course for a very long time, and people are used to it. It works for everybody so far. But you know, it doesn’t mean it’s gonna be that way forever.”
Logtenberg also pointed to previous discussions around the property, including those surrounding the Hallo development and the golf course society’s tax exemption.
He said those discussions happened quickly and council never had a chance to step back and have a broader conversation about the large parcel and its future.
“All of that was pretty rushed, and we had talked about at the time about coming back and revisiting this and really sitting down talking with them about this huge piece of land that has significant potential one way or the other for our community and that neighborhood,” he said.
In the end, council directed staff to invite the Granite Pointe Golf and Recreation Society to a workshop in 2027 to discuss the potential future use of the lands and give the society an opportunity to present its vision for the property.
The updated PTE bylaw also includes an exemption for the Kootenay School of the Arts building at 606 Victoria Street, following its lease to the Nelson Community Land Trust Society.
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