Public input sought on World Golf Village

St. Johns County has invited the public to provide input at two meetings concerning the World Golf Village properties that are being vacated by the World Golf Foundation. The meetings will be held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 and 9-11 a.m. Sept. 28 at the St. Johns County Public Administration Building Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View.

Both meetings will be broadcast live and as video-on-demand on the county’s GTV broadcast (co.st-johns.fl.us/GTV/watchGTV.aspx) as well as to local subscribers of Comcast Cable and U-verse. The public can go to sjcfl.us/wgv to learn more and to provide online input by Sept. 30 on potential future uses of the properties.

“I am excited to gather community input and professional proposals on this vital piece of property located in District 2, which is pivotal to the continued quality of life in the county,” District 2 Commissioner Sarah S. Arnold said in July as the county began its public outreach efforts. “There are so many possibilities that can be realized, and to listen and learn about what the community wants will be a part of the process the Board of County Commissioners uses to make its decisions about these assets.”

At the June 6 Board of County Commissioners regular meeting, staff presented an update on the assessment of the properties and recommendations moving forward.

On Sept. 6, with the support of the board the county sent a letter of intent to the foundation expressing interest in acquisition of the PGA Tour Productions facility, located at 21 World Golf Place and South Legacy Trail, which is comprised of various easements, parking lots and other outdoor spaces.

Additionally, the county is working with the foundation to collaborate on efforts to continue operation of the IMAX movie theatre.

The properties that are open for public input include:

• World Golf Hall of Fame: a 64,113-square-foot multi-purpose facility. The foundation notified its intent to discontinue Hall of Fame operations on or about Sept. 1. Currently, the foundation is proposing a temporary lease extension to Dec. 31.
• World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater: a 17,865-square-foot movie theater. The equipment (movie screen and audio/visual components) would remain in the building.
• PGA Tour Productions: a 32,329-square-foot Class-A office building. The foundation is relocating at the end of 2024.
• South Legacy Trail: 36.07 acres of various parking lots, rights-of-way areas, landscaping and lakes.

The county’s Economic Development Department continues to analyze public feedback and public engagement to establish themes and bring back a report to inform the commissioners for a comprehensive planning approach for the properties.