Whether it was due to political expediency or to a true change of heart, Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey has made the right decision in taking the Mount Ogden Golf Course off the market. The golf course and adjacent park are an urban jewel of green space that the city should protect, not sell to a developer who wants to put condos in Ogden's foothills and ski runs on the picturesque mountain above. Developer Chris Peterson wants to make the golf course land a part of his vision for an upscale residential subdivision on Ogden's east bench and a wintertime resort on 1,400 acres he owns at Malan's Basin.
He also had his eye on Weber State University land to the east of the campus, but WSU wisely decided to hold onto it. Godfrey has long supported Peterson's plan, and, in turn, the developer had pledged to help the mayor connect Ogden's downtown to the university and the mountain with an aerial tram. But Peterson's dream is a nightmare to east-side Ogden dwellers who hold dear the golf course, the park and access to a nearby network of foothills trails.
The city golf course and park, with their towering, old trees and shady picnic areas, provide space for all kinds of outdoor recreation - including soccer and golf in the summer and cross-country skiing in winter. Residents' opposition to the sale may have cast a shadow over Godfrey's bid to extend his political career. Whether it was due to political expediency or to a true change of heart, Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey has made the right decision in taking the Mount Ogden Golf Course off the market.
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