PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The renovation of Cobbs Creek Golf Club is still a hot topic within Philadelphia City Council.
In 2020, the city closed the golf course because it lacked funding to address erosion and safety issues caused by years of flooding from the creek.
Fast forward two years later to this past summer, when the Cobbs Creek Foundation cleared hundreds of trees from the currently-closed, city-owned course after cutting a deal to restore the flood-ravaged property, causing much controversy.
In December, a Council committee approved exceptions to the city’s “steep slope” zoning code to prevent erosion on hillsides for this project.
That means the bill could have been passed as early as last week, which is what drew opponents to City Council.
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Neighbor Lawrence Szmulowicz said it would set a dangerous precedent.
“With all the environmental challenges facing Philadelphia, we should be strengthening, not weakening our environmental protections," said Szmulowicz.
Foundation officials testified that they’re not planning to develop any slopes on the course, but the exemption will allow them to restore the creek bed, a crucial element of reviving the course.
“This golf course has a significant history of racial equity,” said Cobbs Creek Foundation Vice President of Education and Community Engagement Morgan Moore.
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“Not only are we going to restore that and bring the game of golf back to our community, but we’re also going to have free educational and athletic programming for our students.”
The bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Curtis Jones, amended the bill to limit the steep slope exemption and clarify that they cannot build impervious surfaces on that slope.
That’s unlikely to be the end of opposition, as neighbors are still upset that the foundation cut down hundreds of trees for the restoration, even though it promises to plant 1,500 new ones.