Tommy,
Every case is different, I suspect.
In this particular case there is no way to either A) restore three miles of debris-choked, flood-prone waterways through the property to the original creek-bed to ensure environmental improvements, flood control, and create 40 acres of wetlands and B) restore the original historical routing of the golf course that was lost when the US Army took over 15% of the original course property in the 1950s without tree removal on a significant scale.
If the Cobbs Creek Foundation hadn't stepped in golf on the site would have disappeared and the wonderful 106 year-old historic treasure would have been forever lost. The entire 393.2 acres of property would have gone over to "open space" which sounds great in theory to some but let me add that it's been "unmaintained, un-managed, overgrown, and crime-ridden" open space since October 2020 when the last management company left and it's a site for litter dumping on a mass scale, large scale drinking parties with hundreds of empties on the course(s), vandalism, drug deals, dead bodies, and other rampant crime as well as large, compromised trees that are falling in piece and in whole, and sewers overflowing into the creeks during heavy rains. I know the article makes the place sound like a wooded Disney land full of joyful little creatures frolicking throughout but it's hardly reality.
The net environmental impact on the property from the project is very positive and I hope the powers that be realize that the groups who are opposed would oppose any development, for any reason. Enough...too much probably, said.