People seem to love golf, but from a land-use perspective, urban golf courses are difficult to justify in a city starved for housing and green space.

And the owners of one Toronto golf course seem to agree, with a redevelopment plan in the works that would replace the private club with new housing and a massive addition of parkland.

Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic landed the scoop that a trio of development firms are working on a proposal to transform the Flemingdon Park Golf Club at Don Valley Parkway and Eglinton with a plan that dedicates 95 per cent of the current golf course as parklands, and would develop the remaining fraction with four residential towers.

To execute their vision, developers Cityzen, Tercot Communities and Greybrook have signed on Hariri Pontarini Architects along with CCxA, the acclaimed Montreal-based landscape design firm behind the wildly popular Berczy Park makeover and famed dog fountain.

This is the Flemingdon Park golf club. Roughly 40 acres, spanning the Don River, about 8km from downtown Toronto. pic.twitter.com/wvYxboZvCM

— Alex Bozikovic (@alexbozikovic) November 1, 2022

Four towers with heights ranging from 42 to 56 storeys would line the Eglinton Avenue frontage, contributing roughly 2,500 new homes to the neighbourhood.

The proposal is for four towers on 5% of the site. Team includes @HaririPontarini @UrbStrat Claude Cormier @DTAHtoronto. pic.twitter.com/EFOfwRuw8y

— Alex Bozikovic (@alexbozikovic) November 1, 2022

But the real jewel in this proposal is the planned park component, repurposing most of the private 16-hectare site for public use.

Bozikovic writes that the City had the opportunity to go the same route with its seven golf courses, but council voted against the motion in spite of a staff recommendation urging that even just half of a single course be converted to parkland.

Reaction to the proposal on social media has been largely positive, with a handful of commenters urging newly-reelected mayor John Tory to stand behind the developers’ plans.

This is an easy decision, @JohnTory.

YES.

— Adam L (@GradyTripp00) November 1, 2022

But others are not as enthusiastic about the plan, including some raising potential environmental concerns not discussed in the preliminary report on the pre-application proposal.

Since they found it appropriate to discuss their project before an actual submission, Did they also tell you that the entire site is below the stable top of bank? And potentially have significant environmental impacts? I guess not!

— Maryam Sabzevari (@MaryamSabzevari) November 1, 2022

Others suggest that the proposal is not ambitious enough, including one commenter who suggests developers "should bury that highway and interchange then at least triple the number of homes and increase park space."