Council Embraces Golf Course Plan

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council on Tuesday embraced a long-discussed plan to build an 18-hole municipal golf course at Point Vicente Park that would meander through adjoining county-owned land and private property, possibly including some of the Monaghan Co.’s land at Long Point.

The council directed City Manager Paul Bussey to submit a conceptual design for the course to the National Park Service, which oversees the city’s use of 63 of the 71 acres at Point Vicente Park. A substantial part of the course, including the clubhouse, would be at the park. The rest would be on adjoining property.

If the application is approved by the Park Service, Bussey said, he will negotiate with affected property owners and start looking into financing possibilities. “The real issue will be a financing issue,” he said.

Councilwoman Jacki Bacharach strongly supported the proposal, saying the city needs to press forward and determine the proper use of Point Vicente Park.

“I’m delighted we’re taking the initiative in finding out what can or cannot be done with this site,” she said.

Mayor Douglas Hinchliffe dismissed some residents’ concerns that the city would lock itself in to developing a golf course if it submitted a conceptual plan to the Park Service. “I’m convinced that we have complete flexibility to amend a future plan,” he said.

The full plan for the development of Point Vicente Park includes a civic center complex, a golf course clubhouse with restaurant, a 175-seat outdoor amphitheater and other public facilities. It also includes expansion of the Interpretive Center, which is dedicated to the natural and social history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.