The PGA Tour filed applications with St. Johns County last week to modify the development plan for its property in Ponte Vedra Beach as part of a plan to explore consolidating its land for a new headquarters.
“This filing will allow the PGA Tour to explore options of consolidating our headquarters in St. Johns County on CR 210 by conducting due diligence relative to the viability of our existing property,” said Kirsten Sabia, vice president of integrated communications for the PGA Tour, in a statement issued last week.
While the PGA Tour’s announcement did not specify the exact location on CR 210, a review of the development applications submitted to the county indicates the company is considering combining several parcels of its existing property along Palm Valley Road in Ponte Vedra Beach with the County Courthouse Annex parcel – which abuts the property – for an expanded and consolidated headquarters.
Although the applications have been submitted to St. Johns County and are available for review upon request, the PGA Tour would not confirm these details, telling the Recorder that no plans have been finalized.
“We are currently in the due diligence phase and need time to explore our options, which is why we filed the zoning modifications with St. Johns County,” Sabia said.
Sabia did say, however, that if the company were to move forward with the consolidation project, the Courthouse Annex would need to be relocated to “help with ingress/egress and the site line.” According to the applications, the existing uses within the annex would be allowed to continue until development occurs.
Officials from St. Johns County, which owns the annex property, said a determination regarding the future of the Courthouse Annex has not been made.
In the statement, Sabia said a consolidated headquarters facility is a priority for the PGA Tour given the global nature of its business and the fact that tour employees currently occupy space in 17 different buildings throughout Ponte Vedra Beach and St. Augustine. The PGA Tour moved to Ponte Vedra Beach from Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s with three employees who occupied a house in the Players Club development.
The PGA Tour’s development applications were submitted to the county by Kimley-Horn and Associates, a design consulting firm based in Jacksonville. The proposed consolidation of tour-owned properties into one Master Development Plan covers more than 500 acres of land, including parcels on TPC Boulevard, Palm Valley Road and A1A, as well as the 1.8 acre-County Courthouse Annex parcel on Palm Valley Road.
According to the applications, the PGA Tour is also proposing to incorporate a Land Use Equivalency Table that will allow for the exchange of approved multi-family residential units for commercial (retail or office) uses within the parcels owned by the company and the county.
County officials said the PGA Tour’s property currently has entitlements for 5.98 acres, or 260,488 square feet, of commercial development (including retail, office and hotel uses) and 684 new, unbuilt multi-family units under the original Development of Regional Impact (DRI) in the 1970s. The new application, officials said, requests conversion of all or a portion of the residential entitlements to commercial use. In addition to proposing construction of new offices and retail space, county representatives said the PGA Tour is also proposing removing some office space near the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse.
Site maps contained within the applications additionally show that the space currently used for parking for THE PLAYERS Championship could be developed as part of the project. Sabia said the PGA Tour is exploring its options with parking and has introduced several solutions and tactics to improve and mitigate it, including carpooling and rideshare services.
If the PGA Tour were to move forward with building the consolidated headquarters, Sabia said, the process would consist of 12 to 18 months of planning and another 12 to 18 months of construction. It would also require budgeting, architectural design, contractor procurement and more due diligence and planning.
“While we have not finalized any plan, we are certainly excited for the potential opportunity to grow in Florida,” Sabia said, “and we will continue to generate positive economic and social impact for St. Johns County.”
