Nice idea, for someplace

“The MacDonald boys playing golf,’’ attributed to William Mosman, 18th Century, at National Galleries of Scotland.

Adapted from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

To no one’s surprise, the Westerly (R.I) Planning Board,  now backed by a state court decision, rejected Winn Properties’ proposal to create a 2,300-unit housing project to replace the well-known 18-hole Winnapaug  Country Club; some 30 percent are supposed to fall under that oft-nebulous term “affordable’’. 

Of course, most Westerly  folks back the idea of affordable housing – somewhere.  But the proposed project would be mighty big for the town of about 23,000, which has a lot of rich people, many of them seasonal and most near or along water, as is the golf course. The richest are in the Watch Hill section. And rich people generally don’t want poorer,  let alone truly poor, people near them. Further, they pay big piles of property taxes, drawing the affectionate attention of local officials.

One reason that foes presented for opposing the project was fear of pollution into Winnapaug Pond. But most golf courses, for all their verdant beauty, are sources of much pollution from fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

In any event, I wouldn’t be surprised if the golf course eventually becomes a development of McMansions and/or some big resort spa. Maybe with a nine-hole course to aid marketing.