LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. – Conversations to be had this week could jumpstart the plan to bring Topgolf to Liberty Lake.
The biggest hurdle preventing the facility from being built at the proposed location on E. Country Vista just south of I-90 is a city code having to do with exterior lighting.
In a Liberty Lake City Council meeting on August 20, the council is expected to hear the proposed code amendment for exterior lighting standards of commercial outdoor recreation use.
This week, the city council is hosting a workshop session, open to the public, to discuss the proposed code amendments that would exclude participant and spectator sports facilities from the existing lighting code. The amendment would allow the development of a Topgolf facility.
The discussion workshop with Liberty Lake City Council is August 6 at 6:00 p.m.
According to the initial application submitted by Frontera Acquisitions, LLC and ARCO Murray National Construction Company Co., Inc, the amendment would accommodate the construction of a Topgolf facility in Liberty Lake which aligns with the city’s goal of ‘enhancing the quality of life among the community by promoting recreational opportunities’.
The application states Topgolf makes recreation available year-round and will draw new golfers to the sport – which could lead to increased use of existing golf courses around Liberty Lake.
If the lighting code is amended and the development of a Topgolf facility moves forward, the venue construction is estimated to cost $25 million and could generate $20-24 million in tax revenue.
ARCO Murray said they estimate about 150 jobs could be created during construction. The finished facility could foster another 250 jobs at the venue to cater to the estimated 250,000 visitors annually.
However, none of those numbers are on the table without the lighting code exception for this facility. According to the application, the lighting that Topgolf would emit “will be no brighter than the existing Ridgeline High School athletic stadium”.
Qualite, the lighting fixture manufacturer, concluded the Topgolf facility would emit less than 8% of light that Ridgeline emits.
According to the city, the lighting code currently in place is meant to provide regulations that preserve and enhance the view of the dark sky, promote health, safety, security and productivity as well as help protect natural resources.
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