ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Big changes are coming to an iconic part of St Johns County, according to our news partners at WJXT in Jacksonville.
After a quarter century along I-95, The World Golf Hall of Fame is leaving World Golf Village.
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Before that happens in late September, county commissioners want to have a plan for what to do with the property.
The IMAX theater at World Golf Village will also close. Both businesses will stop operating on Sept. 30.
The theater alone is almost 18,000 square feet and will still include its movie equipment, which the theater company is leaving behind. If another company were to take over operating the theater, the equipment would likely need an upgrade over the next five to eight years.
The World Golf Hall of Fame is about 64,000 square feet.
In addition to those departures, the PGA has notified the county it plans to relocate the “PGA Tour Productions” office to another location at the end of 2024.
Current recommendations include using the property as a possible museum, offices or maybe a hotel.
But before commissioners make a final decision on what to do with the space, they plan to hold community meetings for input from the public.
The commissioners agree the potential is huge, and that public input on how to move forward will be essential. The discussion ranged from selling the properties to buying them and moving county facilities there.
Commissioner Sarah Arnold noted both the county clerk’s office and supervisor of elections are “bursting at the seams,” and she suggested WGV might be a good spot for a library and community center. She told other commissioners developers are keenly interested in the properties.
One member of the public said the traffic is already too heavy in the area. Another resident said they would be forming the World Golf Village Alliance of Homeowners, to make sure their voices are heard in the process.
The commission voted unanimously to direct staff to begin a public engagement process to get feedback on the use of the properties and present a financial analysis of moving public facilities there.
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