At its regular meeting Tuesday, May 21, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners heard the results of a public survey regarding uses for the 36.07 acres of property at the core of World Golf Village.
The survey showed strong support for continuance of the IMAX Theater, as well as dining options and high-end retail establishments.
In April, the board approved the purchase of the 17,865-square-foot theater, the 32,329-square-foot structure currently housing PGA Tour Productions and the inventory of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The property also includes the lake, common area and parking spaces. The county already owns the 64,113-square-foot Hall of Fame building.
The purchase price is $5.5 million.
In July 2022, the World Golf Foundation made known its intention to move the Hall of Fame to Pinehurst, North Carolina, its original home. It had been located in St. Johns County since 1998.
As of Dec. 31, 2023, operations had ceased at the Hall of Fame and the building was conveyed to the county. The PGA Tour and World Golf Foundation have requested to lease back the production facility, located at 21 World Golf Place and South Legacy Trail, until March 2025 in order to move those operations to the PGA Tour Global Headquarters in Ponte Vedra.
In anticipation of a purchase and sale agreement, two citizen meetings and the online survey were conducted to solicit public input on how best to use the assets. The survey ran from July through September of last year. The public meetings were held Sept. 27 and 28.
At the May 21 meeting, Brett Wiler, senior director, economic development and strategic planning, for TPMA Inc., a consulting firm, presented the findings.
In all, 4,900 people responded to the survey, 54% living within five miles of the property.
More than half the respondents reported visiting World Golf Village up to 10 times last year, with 14% visiting more than 50 times. Top reasons for these visits were: IMAX Theater, 52%; dining, 50%; and other, 31%.
Asked what they enjoyed about their experience, 71% of respondents checked scenery and ambiance, 41% mentioned convenience and accessibility and 34% selected services, such as retail and restaurant establishments.
When asked for suggestions to improve the World Golf Village experience, 77% of respondents supported an increase in retail and dining options. More than half supported more or better activities.
Asked about the IMAX building, 63% preferred it remain a theater. Regarding the Hall of Fame building, 65% of respondents said they would like to see it used as an entertainment facility. Other high scores went to dining, leisure or recreation and cultural uses, such as a museum. Respondents did not want to see an automobile dealership, industrial facility or luxury apartments there.
The top vote-getter for uses of 21 World Golf Place was professional or corporate offices.
Respondents strongly preferred that the county continue to hold and maintain the 36 acres of parking, drainage, right of ways and submerged lands on South Legacy Trail.
The survey was not without its critics. One World Golf Village resident said the questions were posed as though to visitors only, rather than including the perspectives of those who live there.
Based upon these findings, TPMA recommended the county retain the IMAX Theater; focus on restaurants and dining; add high-end retail; consider entertainment, leisure, athletics and/or cultural facilities; consider incubation or headquarters for targeted industries identified through the economic development strategic plan; and consider parking access and traffic needs.
The commission agreed to direct staff to bring back an RFQ (request for quotation) seeking proposals and bids from private developers to form a public-private partnership to redevelop an manage the properties.
