It's looking like the Bayside Squash Club's victory was short lived.
Not long after a rezoning proposal for the club's waterfront facility in Boundary Bay was defeated by Delta council last Tuesday, the membership was informed the new owner of the building would be shutting its doors.
That means the society operating the club must find a new location or face folding.
Upset members confirmed the club was notified by the owner the Corbould Road building would be closed, something that occurred last weekend.
It's not clear if all hope is lost as things are happening behind the scenes, although society president Louise Latremouille didn't want to say much else about the matter.
The property's new owner wanted to subdivide the lot, zoned private recreational, to build two single-family homes. Civic politicians last month agreed to send the proposal to a public hearing, despite opposition from squash club users and a petition with over 400 signatures, names that were not all Delta residents.
Following last week's public hearing, civic politicians defeated the rezoning proposal.
Local resident and squash enthusiast Barry Clark purchased the building in 1980 to be the home of the Bayside Squash Club. He would go on to partner with Tim Saunders, who eventually became the sole owner. In 2011, Saunders, who was inducted last fall into the Delta Sport Hall of Fame, sold the property but the new owner didn't keep it long, listing it for $2.5 million. It was sold to a numbered company represented by Yan Ling Wu.
The application to rezone and subdivide was then submitted, much to the ire of the squash club, which admits that membership has fallen due to an uncertain future.
"Our clubhouse boasts Delta's only squash courts and has a land-use contract with the Corporation of Delta stating that for as long as we need a racquet club here it will remain zoned as a recreational facility. We are also Boundary Bay's only recreational facility and with a little tweaking could become a very thriving business," according to the squash club.
The building on the site is in poor condition and would require significant upgrades to meet municipal standards, according to Delta community planning director Jeff Day. The club admits the building needs repairs, however, the its executive insists it has an active group of members working hard at keeping it running, even though they are not able to use the facility to its fullest.
At the council meeting last month, several supporters asked what would Delta do to find a replacement squash facility if the rezoning application was approved. Parks and recreation director Ken Kuntz responded that the question of how to fulfill the various recreational needs of Deltans is something his department faces all the time and a review is done on an annual basis.
