A major homebuilder announced plans Tuesday to turn a 170-acre golf course off Baymeadows near Interstate 95 into a mix of 1,400 homes and condominiums.
Baymeadows Golf Club, at 7981 Baymeadows Circle W., is under contract for an undisclosed price and the deal has yet to receive final city approval, said M. Victoria Pennington, spokeswoman for the builder, D.R. Horton Inc.
The course has a market value of almost $3.9 million, according to the Duval County Property Appraiser's Office database.
The golf course's co-owner, Michael Miraglia of Miami, also declined to disclose the price he contracted to sell the property for about two months ago. His company bought the course in 2001, he said.
About 50,000 rounds are played on the 18-hole course each year, Miraglia said. "That's pretty good," he said. "We still own and are operating that golf course."
The course was built in 1969, according to thegolfcourses.net, which profiles golf courses.
While Pennington said she did not know when the golf course would close, construction is tentatively set for next summer. The single-family homes and condominiums will be priced from $150,000 to $300,000.
City Councilman Art Graham represents the district where a portion of the golf course is located and also sits on the Transportation, Environment and Energy Committee, which must review the plans. Telephone messages left for Graham Tuesday evening were not returned, but in a statement released by D.R. Horton, he is quoted as saying the project was "a good opportunity for the public and private sectors to work together to improve access and mobility."
The company will be required to spend a sum determined by the city to cope with the increased traffic.
Baymeadows Golf Club is the second on the First Coast to be purchased for residential development. The Ponce de Leon Golf Course was given approval by the St. Augustine City Commission in March for a 749-home development on the course.
Miraglia estimates he has owned and operated 60 golf courses and currently owns eight, including the one in Jacksonville. "I don't see it as a trend," he said of golf courses being turned into residential developments.
Source: Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)
