ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — What’s next for World Golf Village?
The once vibrant collection of businesses and public green space… is now mostly abandoned.
Except for the hotel and convention center and a handful of businesses, almost every building in the center of World Golf Village center is vacant.
St. Johns County owns some of the properties. So the county conducted a survey and held meetings to hear what you think should happen to the World Golf Village center.
People who attended the meetings provided various ideas of what could be there, including a library, county office, more restaurants, a school, and high-end shops.
Some of them were adamant that they did not want fast food restaurants or big box stores.
Many of those who spoke said they want the IMAX theater to remain a theater. The operators of EPIC Theaters – who have a movie theater in St. Augustine -- are interested in the IMAX space at World Golf Village.
Weegee DeMarsh with Epic Theaters told county officials, "If it’s to be a single screen IMAX or if you wish to develop that into a large more tradition theater with additional screens, we’d be open to all that."
Sunray Cinema in Jacksonville is also interested.
Two years ago, Reverb Church renovated the empty Tour Stop store inside the complex, turning it into a worship center and ministry campus. Reverb Church is now one of the very few tenants in the complex.
Minister Brian Lamoureux presented a proposal to the county that extends beyond the church's walls there.
"Our hope," Lamoureux said, "would be to put a private K- 8th (grade) academy. We also see the Imax theater becoming a performing arts theater with an arts focus." He said other ideas include a splash park for children and more park space.
Other churches, including Church of the 1122 in Jacksonville, are interested in the vacant buildings as well.
And many of the residents who spoke don't like what’s happening just outside the World Golf Village property, by the interstate, such as the congestion created with the Bucee's, Costco, and other singular retail stores. And they don’t want that inside the world golf village proper.
The county will take these ideas and input from a survey, work with a consultant, and come up with a revamped version of World Golf Village.
The properties that are were for public input include:
- World Golf Hall of Fame: a 64,113 square-foot multi-purpose facility. World Golf Foundation (WGF) notified its intent to discontinue Hall of Fame operations on or about Sept. 1, 2023. WGF has informed the County they intend to fully vacate by Dec. 31, 2023.
- World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater: a 17,865 square-foot movie theater. WGF notified its intent to discontinue IMAX operations on or about Sept. 1, 2023. The equipment (movie screen and audio/visual components) would remain in the building. Currently, the County is proposing a temporary extension of the WGF operation of the IMAX Theater until Dec. 31, 2023.
- PGA Tour Productions: a 32,329 square-foot Class-A office building. WGF is relocating at the end of 2024.
- South Legacy Trail: 36.07 acres of various parking lots, rights-of-way areas, landscaping, and lakes.