JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 14 years after taking a mulligan on plans to build homes at the site of the old Baymeadows Golf Club, developers have teed up a new plan to transform the property at the northeast corner of the intersection of Baymeadows Road and Interstate 95 into an "urban village."
Plans for the $15 million, 6-acre mixed-use development including a 100-room hotel, 35,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, 8,000 square feet of second-floor office space, 147 homes and 552 townhomes.
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Jacksonville City Councilman Danny Becton announced attended the announcement of the development, which will include major traffic changes to accommodate more residents, shoppers and workers.
"We wanted to get this commercial development right," Becton said. "It’s gone through several iterations. It’s lived, it’s died, it’s lived again. But it was very important to get it right, because this is going to be the keystone of a revitalization effort."
According to Becton's office, developer D.R. Horton Company made major concessions in response to concerns about the commercial development and what kind of impact it could have on traffic.
Immediate transportation plans include adding extra lanes along Baymeadow Road to the I-95 interchange and putting a traffic light the intersection with Baymeadows Circle.
The project dates back to 2004, when D.R. Horton bought the old golf course property with the goal of developing a 1,400-home community. Because of the scale and potential consequences of that project, the Baymeadows Community Council (BCC) was formed to give voice to those living in the surrounding neighborhoods.
That project drew so much opposition it ended with a veto.
"I think it speaks volumes that it was John Peyton’s first veto. I have said to people around me before that, 'Ask me if I’m going to veto a piece of legislation,'" Mayor Lenny Curry said. "This sends a message to every neighborhood where citizens rally together and work together and make it their cause. They can change things and make a difference."
Residents of the area now have mixed feelings about the project.
"This is a good neighborhood. We need the business. We need more people around here. The homes and the values, you can consider those going up, too," Robert Arneel said.
"We don’t need the traffic. With that many homes in here, each resident will have two cars. We don’t need 3,500 cars in this area. We have trouble getting out of here now. I opposed this several years ago," said one homeowner.
The projected is scheduled to break ground this fall with a projected grand opening estimated to occur in the spring 2020.