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Neighborhood Critics Pan UW's 100-Foot-High Fence
Sep 19, 2000 -- Laurelhurst Community Club trustees are examining plans by the University of Washington to renovate its golf driving range, adding trees and raising the height of the surrounding fence from 37 to 100 feet.The Ravenna-Bryant Community Association has already gone on record opposing the project, primarily because of the visual impact of the proposed 100-foot-tall fence.
The driving range, located between Montlake Boulevard, Clark Road and the University Slough just south of the University Village Shopping Center, was originally built in 1965 on the site of a decommissioned landfill. Now, the existing tee-line structure and clubhouse are sinking into the ground and need to be replaced.
The plans call for driving piles to support a new, double-decker tee-line structure with between 60 and 72 tees and an expanded clubhouse, and also include an exhaust system to draw off methane gas from the landfill. At the same time, the fence will be raised to meet the national standard for driving ranges.
In the past, the university has received complaints about golf balls overshooting the fence and hitting cars or people. While this has occurred relatively infrequently, it remains a safety concern.
Funding for the project, estimated at between $3.5 million and $4.2 million, is to come from a $35 increase in student activity fees. The driving range is used by UW students, faculty and staff as well as the general public.
Besides the aesthetic appearance of the 100-foot-high fence, concerns raised by the planned expansion include the possible increase in traffic generated by the larger facility, "spillover" effect from new lights mounted on the fence top, and the possibility of the fence creating a hazard for helicopters landing and taking off at the adjacent heliport.
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