Community members flocked to Myra A. Terwilliger Elementary School in Gainesville on Monday night for a workshop on the University of Florida Golf Institutional Special Area Plan, which involves rezoning 580 acres of land for what would become a new, 18-hole university golf course west of Gainesville. 

The 580 acres, located east of SW 122^nd Street (Parker Road), was included in a special area study (SAS) on the 4,000-acre Hickory Sink property, also known as the “Lee property.” The study was approved unanimously by the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in November 2023.  

According to information included in the agenda packet for a Nov. 7, 2023, BOCC meeting regarding the study, “The Alachua County Comprehensive Plan provides that a Special Area Planning process is necessary prior to the approval of a land use change, zoning change, or development plan within areas designated as Strategic Ecosystems.” 

Information provided in the meeting agenda states that the property “contains the majority of the ‘Hickory Sink’ Strategic Ecosystem,’” one of 47 in Alachua County.  

The special area planning process consists of three steps: Scope of Work, Special Area Study and Special Area Plan (SAP).  

The BOCC approved the special area plan, meaning the planning process has now shifted into the SAP stage. 

“We’re launching the process to get the SAP approved [by the county], which will ultimately be our comprehensive plan and our zoning to build this project,” said Tyler Matthews, CEO of England-Thims & Miller, Inc., the planner, engineer and surveyor on the project. 

The comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning process requires additional neighborhood workshops, which is what took place on Monday. 

“The [county] commissioners care [about] what the public has to say,” Matthews said. “And so, getting feedback tonight helps us incorporate their feedback well into our plans and helps the commissioners know what the public cares about.” 

Jim Sheets, a resident of the Haile Plantation neighborhood, which is located near the Lee property, was among the many community members who attended the workshop.  

He said he was concerned about the intrusion into his neighborhood, noting the vehicle and commercial traffic. 

Traffic volume considerations have been studied and addressed in the SAP process, according to a fact sheet about the proposed golf course that UF provided to Mainstreet.  

Typically, the document said, “golf courses generate less traffic than alternative land uses, such as residential development.” 

Matthews said a question he and other experts got asked a lot during the workshop was whether they planned to extend SW 46^th Boulevard (Hale Boulevard).  

“The answer is ‘no’ to that question,” Matthews said, noting the 15 conditions that were included with the BOCC’s approval of the special area study.  

Referencing condition No. 14, Matthews said, “it specifies that our entrance on [SW] 46^th Boulevard can only be used, shall be limited to a service entrance and bicycle and pedestrian path only and shall not be a construction entrance. And so, our intention right now is at most to connect to it as a pedestrian path and then, if required, for an emergency entrance.” 

“It’s our expectation that we’re totally living off Parker Road,” Matthews said.  

In May, UF completed a $37 million land acquisition for 2,600 acres on the Lee property. The university bought all the acres on the west side of Parker Road, which are now UF/IFAS-managed lands.  

As a result of the sale, the Lee family, which owned the property, also donated a 580-acre parcel of land to UF on the east side of Parker Road, which is where the university plans to develop its new golf course.  

Mainstreet was told that UF does not have any connection with the land to the south.  

Matthews said the golf course would not include residential homes; however, it would contain cottages entirely for golf use. 

“Think of it like a hotel on the property for members and their guests,” he said.  

Matthews noted that there would be 23 cottages “per approved condition.” 

“We wouldn’t build all 23 at first,” he said. “We’d build a handful at first.” 

In addition to the cottages, early drawings for the golf course also show a member and team clubhouse, range and short game area, a short course and team practice holes.  

“I think very clearly in our site plan that this course is built to be a championship, 18-hole facility that makes UF [men’s and women’s] golf teams win championships,” Matthews said.  

Community access and engagement are also a focal point for UF with its new golf course. Examples outlined in the fact sheet include creating a First Tee facility and supporting local youth golf programs, as well as providing public access to the conservation management area (CMA) by way of a community trailhead and trails on the property. 

Experts at the workshop said over 100 acres of the 580-acre parcel are in the CMA. 

With the workshop completed, the project will now go through additional review by staff, followed by a series of public meetings. The BOCC will also hold hearings throughout the winter and spring of 2026, according to the fact sheet. 

“We’ll be in process for a lot of 2026,” Matthews said.  

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.