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Tamarac commission backs renovating Colony West Glades Golf Course as 18‑hole facility
Summary
After a city survey and public meetings showing broad support, the Tamarac City Commission agreed to renovate the Colony West Glades Golf Course and keep it as an 18‑hole course. Commissioners asked staff to return with additional options and legal safeguards to make the course’s future more difficult to change.
The Tamarac City Commission agreed to move forward with plans to renovate the Colony West Glades Golf Course and keep it as an 18‑hole facility after a city survey found strong neighborhood support.
The commission’s parks director told commissioners an online survey and an in‑person workshop drew 1,242 responses and that about 80% of respondents favored maintaining and renovating the golf course “as is,” including upgrades to greens, walkways, irrigation and restrooms. Parks Director Rudolph Galindo said the results matched feedback from district meetings.
“Over the last 2 years, a record number of these residents have spoken up with their voices and their vote in town halls and in surveys saying that they want to keep the golf course the same,” Commissioner Jonathan Wright said, urging the commission to follow the survey results.
Commissioners and residents said the course serves neighboring communities and that renovation should prioritize playability, safety and reduced impacts on adjacent homes. Several commissioners also asked staff and the city attorney to prepare legal protections to make future conversion harder: Commissioner Robert Bolton requested an amendment that would require a super‑majority or a high threshold of resident approval before the city could remove golf course protections.
City Attorney and staff clarified the existing restrictive covenant can be terminated by a majority commission vote under the current language. Commissioners asked staff to research options to strengthen that covenant — including requiring a supermajority vote and a high percentage of affected‑neighborhood approval (examples discussed ranged from 80% to a citywide ballot requirement) — and to return to the commission with proposed ordinance language and procedural steps.
Resident speakers who live near the course urged the commission to retain the course, raised maintenance and safety concerns, and recommended construction materials that last in Florida conditions.
Commissioners said they would proceed with design and renovation planning for the golf course and present a follow‑up package with cost estimates, program impacts and proposed covenant language at a future meeting.
Votes and formal direction on this item were procedural and advisory: staff were given direction to proceed with the renovation concept that preserves 18 holes, and to return with a detailed plan that includes options for a stronger legal covenant and cost estimates. No final construction contract or funding appropriation was adopted at the meeting.
The commission also asked that the research on covenant changes include notification and vote thresholds for residents living within close proximity to the course.
