St. Johns County Seeks Community Input on World Golf Village

With the World Golf Hall of Fame, IMAX Theater and PGA Tour Productions facility being vacated, St. Johns County officials are working on what comes next and they are hoping residents will help.

The county’s economic development department is planning a series of information-gathering sessions with community members and stakeholders, including town hall meetings and online surveys. The goal is to get community input on potential best future uses for the facilities.

According to county economist David Kiernan, the World Golf Village informational website has been available since July 26. The survey and comment elements of that site will remain available until Sept. 30 and two in-person comment solicitation meetings held at the Board of County Commissioners auditorium on Sept. 27 and 28 where participants can provide verbal comments. The sessions will be broadcast live on GTV and archived for later viewing.

“After the comment period is over, the information that is gathered will be analyzed and a report will be prepared and presented to the BCC,” Kiernan said. “The date for the BCC presentation is to be determined.”

The properties include:

The World Golf Hall of Fame, a 64,113-square-foot complex; the adjacent IMAX Theater, a 17,865-square -foot facility; a Class-A office building formerly home to PGA Tour Productions; and several parking lots, lakes and rights-of-way on the property.

“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,” said County Commissioner Sarah Arnold, in the county release. “There are so many possibilities that can be realized and to listen and learn about what the community wants will be part of the process the Board of County Commissioners uses to make its decisions about these assets.”

The United States Golf Association announced plans to close the St. Augustine complex in 2022 and relocate to Pinehurst, North Carolina. The Hall of Fame was founded in Pinehurst in 1974 and moved to St. Augustine in 1998 as the centerpiece of the World Golf Village resort community.

“The Hall of Fame has the utmost appreciation for the support it has received from the state of Florida – as well as the Northeast Florida community – over the past two-plus decades,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO o the World Golf Hall of Fame, in the 2022 media release announcing the move. “While the Hall of Fame is looking forward to this exciting new opportunity at Golf House Pinehurst, we will reflect fondly on the memories created across nearly 25 years in St. Augustine.”

More information about the process is available at www.sjcfl.us/wgv.