A nine-hole golf course and RV park have been proposed for the former site of the Last Hill Golf Course near Eckville.
Now named Alberta Views RV and Golf Resort, landowners Bill and Carla MacLean have applied to Lacombe County to rezone the 153-acre property just northwest of Eckville from agriculture to recreation district, which allows for RVs.
The new development will include nine holes, 100 recreational seasonal campsites — which could be expanded to 160 spots in a second phase — washrooms, parking lot and a large fenced storage lot. A playground, small pool, pickleball courts and a trail to a water feature are also proposed at the picturesque site.
RV lots are expected to be ready by July and the golf course will be overhauled and ready for the 2023 season.
Last Hill has been closed since 2009 and the land was purchased in 2015.
The MacLeans first applied to Lacombe County to rezone the property in 2017. It passed first reading and then further action was taken and the application lapsed, said county senior planner Cajun Paradis.
At the time, Bill MacLean said they were considering an unusual 12-hole golf course. The MacLeans could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
After the MacLeans revived the project, a public open house was held on Feb. 15 that was attended by seven people and members of county council.
“The feedback at the open house was entirely positive,” said Paradis in a report to council. “There were no opposing questions or views presented.”
County council unanimously approved first reading on Thursday and set a public hearing for April 14. If it passes second reading, the county and developers will sit down to work out a development agreement before going to a third reading.
To speed up the approval process, the plan is to go to council for approval of third reading and the development permit together.
Alberta Views will be the second major golf project announced in central Alberta.
Sylvan Lake’s Lakewood Golf Resort’s project to add another nine holes is well underway.
The new track is expected to be landscaped and seeded by the end of this season. On that timetable, it is hoped golfers can start swinging their clubs on the new nine by July or August of 2023.
At the same time that work is being done on the new holes, construction on a new driving range on the north side of Township Road 391 will begin.
They are aiming to have the new range open by this fall, or early next spring at latest.
The resort also has 260 seasonal RV spots available after several years of expansion.
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