Politics & Government
Duggan Administration Determined To Sell Rackham Golf Course
The mayor wants to sell, but some on city council oppose the move, and contract negotiations may delay opening day for Detroit golf courses.
Tuesday, Detroit City Council voted down a two-year management contract for the city’s golf courses. The plan, advanced by Mayor Mike Duggan, would also be a first step towards selling the Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods, a property owned by the city of Detroit. Officials told Crain’s Detroit Business that the rejection of this contract will delay this spring’s opening day for city golf courses, because there won’t be a firm in place to manage daily operations.
Charlie Beckham, the mayor's group executive for neighborhoods, and Detroit Chief Procurement Officer Boysie Jackson supported giving the two-year contract to Signet Golf Associates II. The North Carolina firm would have received $90,000 a year to manage the courses.
Beckham told Crain’s that the contract would have allowed the city time to decide how to make improvements to two Detroit courses along with developing a plan to market Packham for an eventual sale. Despite the failed contract vote, Detroit still plans to offload Rackham sooner rather than later.
Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"We want to put it up for sale and see what we can get," Beckham told Crain’s. While the Duggan administration is eager to sell, several city council members vowed to fight sale attempts, calling Rackham an asset that could make the city money.
Detroit lawyer Horace Rackham and his wife Mary donated the course to the city of Detroit in 1924. One condition of the gift is that it stay a public golf course, so selling the facility isn’t as straightforward as city of Detroit officials imply. Selling the course has been floated since 2006, when disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick proposed selling the course for to a developers, a plan rejected by the Michigan Supreme Court after an expensive court case.
Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
If the club stops being a public golf course, the whole property reverts to the Rackham heirs, greatly restricting qualified potential buyers.
For full coverage, follow this story with Crain’s Detroit Business.
Photo via Rackham Golf Club.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.