Philadelphia City Council gave its final unanimous approval Feb. 2 allowing a zoning exception for the Cobbs Creek Golf Course, but not without some musical protest from Jonathan Leibovic, writes Pat Loeb for KYW Newsradio.

“They cut down our trees and put up a golfing course,” Leibovic sang, as he parodied Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” as his protest to the zoning bill.

The Cobbs Creek Foundation is overseeing the golf course’s renovations. The course, built in 1916, rests in Philadelphia and Upper Darby. It was one of the few golf courses open to Black players.

The zoning bill lets the Foundation remove trees from slopes on the course so it can work on a creek bed to prevent the same flooding that destroyed the course in the past.

Supporting the renovations, businessman Blane Stoddart said 1,500 trees and 15,000 native plants will be replanted on the property. 

“Nice neighborhoods get golf courses, like Bryn Mawr and Ardmore, and so to have a public golf course in our neighborhood is a good thing and adds value to our neighbors, and takes kids off the street and helps us against gun violence,” said Stoddart.

Read more about Jonathan Leibovic’s musical protest and about renovations at the Cobbs Creek Golf Course at KYW Newsradio.