On Wednesday, Mlive Flint reported some exciting news coming out of the City of Burton, Genesee County’s second-largest city by population.

From Mlive Flint:

The City of Burton has purchased the former Southmoor Golf Club property with plans to develop a public park on the 93-acre property.

“The possibilities here are endless,” Burton City Council member Steve Heffner said.

The council approved a purchase agreement with the property’s owner, DSB Golf LLC, during its Wednesday, April 21 meeting. In the weeks prior, city officials were looking to demolish the property, which has become an eyesore for some residents since it closed more than five years ago.

This is huge news for Burton and all of Genesee County, as this once-vibrant property will be transformed into a public asset for residents.

“Investing in community development projects, like this one, is vital to the health and vitality of our residents,” said Commissioner Gary Goetzinger, who represents District 3 on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners. “I applaud this effort to turn an eyesore in our community into a vibrant public asset that, in the future, all residents will be able to enjoy.”

And there’s more, this property acquisition, funded largely by a grant from the Michigan DNR, will allow the City of Burton to connect to the Iron Belle Trail.

Using existing trails, networks and new connections, including our own in Genesee County, the Iron Belle Trail extends more than 2,000 miles from the far western tip of the Upper Peninsula to Belle Isle in Detroit.

Just last summer, Grand Blanc Township celebrated its connection to the Trail. The Township and its partners secured over $4 million in federal, state and local funding for phases 1-2 of the project.

These investments in outdoor recreation continue to set Genesee County apart among its peers across Michigan. We are a county with an abundance of recreational assets and we are excited for more in the near future.