Tensions are high over the future for the Great Southern Golf Course

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Controversial plans are putting a wedge in one Gulfport community.

The Great Southern Golf Club has been a fixture in Gulfport for more than a hundred years, but the historic course is now being replaced with a new subdivision of homes.

Tempers flaring as the Florida-based developer behind the project reveals more about its plans for the property.

“I’ve dealt with this stuff before, I didn’t come here to argue with you,” one resident said.

“I didn’t come here to argue with you, there’s a lawyer in the back,” a representative from the developer responded.

Tensions are high over the future for the Great Southern Golf Course.

Arbor Sites filed plans with Gulfport ahead of next week’s Planning Commission meeting.

It outlines building 177 single-family homes south of the railroad tracks between the Southern Circle and Mockingbird Lane neighborhoods.

“I recommend that you take shareholder input to develop a project and shareholder input is trying to explain to you that we have serious issues,” that same resident said.

Some issues neighbors have with the plan are school zoning, the drainage system, and the increased traffic in the area.

“Maybe everyone leave at the same time, turn left, you be last and see how long you wait at that three-way turn,” another resident said.

“We’re not going to make everybody happy, we just can’t. Jesus Christ couldn’t. But we do what we can,” a developer representative said.

Engineers tweaked the plan after listening to comments from neighbors’ last meeting.

Officials decreased the number of lots to save more trees, focus the drainage system to go into the gulf, and added more than 30 styles for the homes.

“Everyone has to admit that this is a vast improvement over what we saw last October. We recognize you didn’t have to make those changes,” another resident said.

While folks raised hands and voice their concerns, officials explained that something must be done soon.

“I understand that there’s a little bit of hard feelings. Everybody would love to have a golf course in their backyard, but we don’t have a choice now. Either it’s going to be abandoned or used by squatters or we could have a very nice, upscale development,” a developer representative said.

Officials will reveal plans to the planning commission June 23.

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