The Alachua County Planning staff met with JBrown Professional Group on June 16th to discuss a proposed 487-residential unit development that includes an 80-room hotel.
According to Alachua County Growth Management Principal Planner Jeff Hays, the 75-acre parcel that is the defunct West End Golf Club located at 12830 W Newberry Rd., is currently zoned as recreational.
The conceptual master plan titled “Tara Club West End” includes 40, 50, and 60-foot wide residential lots, a 20-foot wide single family townhouse lot, and a multi-family residential building.
Hays said it is common for a developer to meet in the very early stages with the planning department, and that if the development were to move forward, the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan would need to be amended to change the zoning to residential-mixed use.
“A lot of times a developer just wants to get some feedback on something,” Hays said about the “first-step meeting.”
At one time, West End Golf Club was a thriving course hosting more than 50,000 rounds a year, but it came under financial hardship closed in December 2019. The course sits dormant and mostly unkempt as paved trails have begun to crumble and several trees have toppled.
Some residents living around the course have been riding bikes and walking the paths and using the space as a recreation area since it closed.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are known.