By Pamela Manson | [email protected]

If some South Jordan residents had their druthers, the Glenmoor Golf Course would become a park. 

Others living in the city prefer the facility remain as it is, with one advocate saying the benefit to the community will be felt for generations. 

And another possibility is a development with housing on the site, at 9800 South and 4800 West. 

South Jordan officials have asked residents for their vision of the future of the privately-owned golf course, which a judge has ordered be sold for its highest value. The city wants input from community members to help determine what action it should support concerning the property. 

There are two options, according to the city: South Jordan could buy Glenmoor or allow the property to be privately developed. 

If the city bought the 135-acre site, the property would be used as a golf course and zoned as open space to preserve it. The purchase would cost $18 million maximum and funded by a bond, which could lead to a property tax increase, according to information posted on the city website. 

Private development would include residential construction, the city says. Under one development method, the current zoning that allows residential and agricultural uses could remain, with a maximum of one lot per acre. Another possibility would be to rezone the property for a residential development – including possibly having an age restriction of 55 or older on some of the housing units – and a 9-hole golf course. 

Residents can learn more and give their opinion by visiting www.sjc.utah.gov/glenmoorgolfcourse or emailing [email protected]. 

The city also has scheduled events in July where residents could learn about the issue. The ones still pending are scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 27, at Mulligans Gold & Games, 692 W. South Jordan Parkway, and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. July 28 at South Jordan Fitness & Aquatic Center, 10866 S. Redwood Road.

Some of the discussion on Facebook has centered on whether the golf course should continue to operate or whether the property should be turned into a park. 

“Please keep the golf course!!!” one posting on Facebook says. “Been around 50 years and it’s a local treasure.” 

 But another resident argued for green space without the course. 

“Don’t raise my taxes for something I’m not remotely interested in,” she posted. “A park I could [buy] into, a golf course, no thanks!”  

 The discussion of the future of the golf course stems from a dispute among the property’s owners that led to a lawsuit. In August 2017, a 3rd District Court judge ordered that the corporation operating the golf course be dissolved and appointed a receiver to sell the property for its highest value (South Jordan is not part of the lawsuit).

The site is zoned A-1, which allows the owner to subdivide the property and build 1-acre single-family homes. Last fall, the city council approved a resolution indicating a pending change of the zoning to Open Space. 

The owner and the court-appointed receiver have threatened to sue the city over any zoning change because it would lower the value of the property. The notice of pending change was allowed to expire so the parties could explore a resolution.