October 16, 2009

Dallesport golf course proposal remains alive

By Kathy Ursprung
The Chronicle

     Almost 30 years after the concept first cropped up in local discussion, a world-class golf course at the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport is still alive and kicking.
     The idea of a five-star, fly-in, links-style golf course on the windy, ruggedly beautiful, Dallesport peninsula is enough to spark the imagination of anyone who has ever picked up a golf club. Michael Canon, director of Klickitat County Economic Development, was one of the inspired when he addressed The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce economic development committee Oct. 9, describing a “fly-in golf resort with one of the five-star courses around the region.”
     At present, the Sundoon Resort, as the prospective course is called, is still tied up with an environmental challenge from Columbia Riverkeepers. But Canon is looking beyond that to a development that could substantially change the character of Dallesport.
     “It would be a tremendous asset for the gorge — a remarkable asset for the gorge,” Canon said.
     He described the proposed course as “similar to some of the best golf courses in Scotland.”
     Around the course, developers envision an upscale housing development, as well as two condo resorts.
     “Long-range, it would mean a very substantial upgrade for the airport,” Canon noted, “including an executive terminal and a conference center.”
     While Sundoon continues to work its way through the long, drawn out processes of governmental approval, Riverkeepers’ environmental challenge remains a very real unknown, Canon said.
     Riverkeepers lost its challenge against the airport business park, but that use had at least some historical foundation in Dallesport. A golf course is a brand new use for the area, he said.
     Canon offered no timeline for the golf course, which has been the topic of debate, speculation and planning in one form or another since at least 1981.