Open House tonight for Westport Light State Park golf course proposal

Tonight in Westport, the public is invited to an in-person open house with Washington State Parks department to update the public on the progress and status of ongoing master planning efforts at Westport Light State Park to consider a Scottish-style links golf course sited within the park.

State Parks have been working with vendors across the state to develop Recreation Concession Areas within the lands, allowing the companies to have businesses in the parks that enhance the properties.

“The purpose of RCAs is not to privatize the parks system but to provide park visitors with amenities that are beyond State Parks’ financial capacity or expertise, while generating revenue to help operate the park system.”

In 2016, the State Parks Commission completed a public process to select four pilot sites for private investment, known as Recreation Concession Areas (RCAs). Westport Light State Park was one of the four parks identified. 

In their proposal, Westport Golf LLC is said to have approached the Parks department with their proposal to construct a Scottish links style “artisanal” golf course and 30-to-40 room inn as part of overall development of Westport Light State Park.

The conceptual proposal calls for a “low-impact course design that incorporate the site’s natural features and minimize disturbance while restoring the natural functions of previously degraded areas”.  It states that the plan is to develop and operate a “world-class” public golf course along with envisioning “a destination golf experience” for the area. 

State Parks is still in the early stages of considering the proposal, and no commitments have been made at this time. 

The presentation will provide a summary of findings of the environmental and economic site analysis conducted, introduce the golf course conceptual design, and discuss next steps in the planning process.

The in-person only open house is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Dec. 8 from 6-8 p.m. at Ocosta Elementary School in Westport.

Parks acquired a 300-acre property located between Westhaven State Park and Westport Light State Park in 2015 through a $1.9 million grant from the Recreation and Conservation Office. 

That land purchase enabled the two existing parks to merge into the now 603 acre area known collectively as Westport Light State Park. 

What

Westport Light Golf Open House

When

Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022 from 6-8 p.m.

Where

Ocosta Elementary School
2580 S Montesano St.
Westport, WA 98595

To view planning efforts at Westport Light State Park to date, please visit the project website.