Believing that a proposed, privately owned golf course may someday bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue to the city, the mayor’s office wants to put city funds toward the project. But two members of the City Council said they oppose the concept.
When the state nixed $10 million worth of bonds for the city, it forced the administration to withdraw $1 million that it planned to use to realign Caven Point Road, near the Applied Companies’ anticipated Port Liberte Golf Course. The Planning Board voted in August to approve changes in the master plan to accommodate the golf course. The course itself has not won approval yet.
The realignment of the road was an integral part of the project, as it would wedge in the Tom Kite-designed golf course on a peninsula that juts into the Hudson River.
An administration official said the city would find a way to help fund the realignment through this year’s budget. “We believe it’s a sound investment,” said Tom Gallagher, Mayor Bret Schundler’s Chief of Staff. “A million dollars to relocate a road to help facilitate a world-class golf facility in Hudson County, we think is a small price.” He estimated property tax revenue to the city would come to $7 or $8 million.
But the move raises questions over public funding for private projects. Incorporating the money into the city’s budget may get some resistance from the City Council.
“The golf course is a luxury,” said Ward F Councilwoman Melissa Holloway, who said she was not altogether opposed to the course. “There [are] parks we’ve been promising people for seven years. How are you going to tell people we’re gonna put a golf course in and not a park? It’s another case of the haves vs. the have-nots.” Added Ward A Councilman Robert Cavanaugh, “We’ve got streets that need paving, we need police equipment. We have to make sure the basic services are provided first.”
Gallagher said the city would try its best to find alternative ways to get the project done.
Representatives from the Applied Companies could not be reached for comment, but the company has said that they hope to have the 18-hole “championship caliber” course ready by 2003.