Frequently Asked Questions

Westport Light State Park (WLSP), located on sandy soils and exposed to coastal Pacific weather, exhibits ideal conditions for a traditional links golf course. (Links golf is defined as a course located alongside the sea built on sandy soil.) Situated between the Pacific Ocean and the City of Westport, WLSP creates the perfect landscape to emulate the historic seaside golf links of Scotland and Ireland. Westport Golf Links (WGL) is also enthusiastic about creating a catalyst for economic development in Grays Harbor County such as employing workers from the local labor pool, generating job opportunities in industries that would support the golf course, and enhancing the City of Westport destination for new and additional visitors from more distant locations in Washington and Oregon.

The WGL vision is to construct and manage a world-class links golf course in a manner that will preserve, enhance, and maintain ecological functions within the park. Through rigorous environmental studies completed to-date on wetlands, wildlife, vegetation and habitat, site hydrology, and coastal processes, WGL has identified site opportunities beyond a golf course. Substantial portions of the 603-acre WLSP are presently inaccessible to the public. Lack of site management in inaccessible areas has enabled invasive species to spread through much of the upland habitats. Dense stands of shore pines and Scotch broom and mostly informal trail systems minimize public access opportunities and pose a wildfire threat to the adjacent community. The WGL concept for a links golf course includes mitigating impacts to wetlands and wetland buffers on the site in compliance with applicable State and Federal regulations, and protecting these environmentally sensitive areas from encroachment by invasive and non-native species that currently occupy much of the park. Onsite management of the golf course, 365 days a year, will create the ability to manage, monitor, protect and preserve wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas of the site. It is also important that the links golf course will be a pervious surface of native grasses that will allow for natural hydrological processes to continue.

Yes. Westport Light State Park will remain a public park. The WGL goal is to open up the park and maintain the large areas associated with the golf course and ancillary facilities so that more people (nature enthusiasts, walkers/hikers, mountain bikers, surfers, and persons with other interests in addition to golf) can enjoy this amenity by the sea. Beach access is currently sub-optimal, and the interior of the park is largely inaccessible. Improvements, including ADA access, are proposed to the 1.3-mile paved dune crest path, along with stabilized points of access to the beach. The concept plan also includes a re-envisioned loop trail and new east-west access through the park between downtown and the beach. Provisions will be made for additional parking in the existing lot along Jetty Haul Road, improved emergency vehicle access, and new community gathering areas at the north end, along trails, and overlooking the ocean.

Click here to view the concept master plan.

In addition to the trails, community gathering areas, and parking improvements described above, the concept plan includes upgraded restrooms and surf showers and a food and beverage kiosk in the northwest corner of the site. An all-weather golf range will be open to the public throughout the year for practice, instruction, or just for fun. In addition to the removal and management of invasive species; wetland preservation, enhancement and mitigation described above, coastal zone monitoring and a forest management plan are proposed.

Click here to view the concept master plan.

WGL is still in conceptual design and has not advanced to this level of detail. Generally speaking, golf holes will be set back 100 to 300 feet from the property boundary to maintain the natural character of the project site perimeter where possible. This would specifically apply to areas along W Ocean Road and street-ends off of N Forest St. Any new trails will be approximately 12 feet wide and aligned to minimize impacts to vegetation and trees.

Golf courses in the Pacific Northwest have adopted Environmental Stewardship Guidelines and Best Management Practices (BMPs) to minimize the environmental impact of nutrient and pesticide use. Studies conducted by the Western Washington and Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Associations since 2000 show that these guidelines are generally effective, with limited adverse effects on surface water quality. Monitoring data reveals that nutrient levels rarely exceed aquatic life criteria, and most detected pesticide exceedances are linked to upstream activities rather than golf course operations. The implementation of integrated pest management plans and adaptive management practices has further reduced potential runoff and leaching, contributing to sustainable turfgrass management.

Click here to read the full white paper.

Since the pandemic, real estate across the state and country has escalated. Rural areas saw higher than average appreciation as urban residents who could work from home relocated to more affordable areas or purchased second homes to give themselves a nearby place to escape to. The supply of homes in the rural areas is more limited so as demand rose so did prices.  Comparing three-bedroom home sales in 2019 to home sales in the past 12 months King County has seen a 50% increase in sales price while Pierce County experienced a 43% increase.   In East County (McCleary, Elma, Montesano ) saw a 61% increase from 2019 to now and the Aberdeen / Hoquiam / Cosmopolis market experienced a 70% rise in average sale price of a 3-bedroom home.

On the coast where both full-time relocation and 2nd home interest impacted demand, prices rose even higher. Ocean Shores, which has a greater supply of homes available, saw an increase of 75% and on the South Beach, where supply is very limited the average price of a 3-bedroom home rose 91%. None of the increase was related to a major development but rather was a simple function of supply and demand. 

The lack of available homes for sale in the South Beach area has made existing homes go up higher in price than most other areas. That said, there has been more new construction in the South Beach in the last five years than there has been in the last thirty years combined as people who have purchased lots over past decades decided to finally build a home on their property. In addition to that there have been several contractors building homes to sell in Westport. 

There have been questions related to the potential of property taxes going up when a large economic improvement like the golf course is made. A fifty-million-dollar investment in our community that transitions a large property that presently has little use and no economic benefit to the community will certainly raise property values in our community. Demand will undoubtedly go up which in turn will increase home values.

The impact of rising values on property taxes is not a straight-line association. A large percentage of what property taxes pay for are fixed amounts that do not go up just because property values increase. When our “tax base” gets larger, like when new homes get built or major improvements are made, the burden of those fixed amounts is spread out between a greater number of owners. 

For example, in 2021 the assessed value of a condominium in Westport was $416,000 and the property tax owed was $5,239. In 2025 that same property had an assessed value of $611,104 which is an increase in value of 47% but the 2025 tax owed went down slightly to $5,202! The new construction that has occurred around our community has spread out the burden of the fixed tax costs and that meant taxes did not increase even though the value of the property had gone up by nearly 50%.

Other aspects, such as the maintenance and operation of the sewer plant and the provision of water are also positively impacted by new development in our community. More people sharing the financial burden of maintaining those systems means it may actually cost less for us individually or at least not go up in cost as much over the years.