Falmouth: Plans are afoot to transform a nearly 100-year-old golf course in Chechville into a solar farm.
In a letter read out at a meeting of the Planning Board on February 23, David Frill, owner of Cape Code Country Club on the theatrical drive, cited small work over the past decade as an alternative to the property.
“Over the last ten or two years, the proliferation of golf courses in Cape Town and the declining number of golfers have forced me to look at other land use options for the Cape Code country club in terms of financial viability,” he said. .
Cape Cod Country Club has been exploring various uses for the property since early 2019, and Amp Energy, a renewable energy company, has expressed interest in leasing the property to a large solar farm.
If the licensing process goes as planned, Amp Energy will generate 27 to 30 megawatts of power on 80 hectares of the 80-acre farm. It also gives part of the land to the city for conservation purposes.
By the time the solar farm is completed, one-sixth to one-seventh of the city’s electricity needs could be up to one-seventh, Bob Ament, a lawyer representing Amp Energy, told the board.
But only if the current city rules change.
Amp Energy is currently unable to negotiate enough to make the project financially viable. Plans ahead of the city meeting this spring will improve the city’s official zoning map, which is located on a large plot of land in a sun-drenched district.
The amendment will allow Amp Energy to use more land and clear more trees, although project representatives have said they plan to plant trees in a separate area of the property.
The current constitution prohibits the use of 26 hectares of property, which prohibits conservation land. Amp Energy Representative Ivan Turner told the Planning Board that the solar farm would double as a pollen field.
The upgrades give them more flexibility when installing light bulb panels and create more space between the sun farm and the road. Turner barrels are created and trees close the view of the farm, which is located on the golf course highways inside the property.
Turner said the project will be similar to those used to protect the property from a solar panel on Couit Road in Sandwich last year.
Two groups, including the 300-member Land Committee and the Cape Code Climate Change Cooperation, spoke at a February 23 meeting to oppose a proposal to reduce up to 20% of assets for solar negotiations.
The planning board continued the hearing until Tuesday.
If Friel does not pass those articles on the letter and fails to make the Amp Energy project financially viable, the club will monitor housing development on the property. The course to convert to housing will be the second on Cape. A proposal to build a 312-room apartment on the Twin Brooks Golf Course in Hyannes has been submitted to the Cape Code Commission.
“It is not uncommon for the property to remain a golf course or an open space,” said Turner.
But some are struggling to save their education.
Cake van Cliff, a Summerville resident and sandwich golfer, called the golfer his favorite place. He said it should be preserved, especially because of the story.
A.D. Launched in 1928 as Coonamessett, the course was developed by Dererex Emet and Alfred H. Tul. My aunt was a famous architect and there are still only 31 golf courses, Van Cliff. Most of those golf courses are private, Cape Cod Country Club is public.
“My aunt is one of the most famous designers in golf,” says Van Cliff. “Getting rid of this is like getting rid of Van Gog’s picture”
“Cape Cod is a major resort on the East Coast,” he said. There are many people here to play golf. It would be really hard to get another place to play.
Van Cliff also asked Freel’s question about the declining business. He said that he would be beaten every time he left.
Golf served as a safe haven during the global epidemic, he said. According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of active golfers in the United States is the highest. By 2020, it had grown by half a million to 24.8 million, making it the most profitable year-on-year since 2003.
“I think he has a lot of untapped potential and it’s a shame to lose this place,” said Van Cliff.
Contact Jessica Hill at jhill@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jess_hillyeah.