Housing developer eyes Meadowbrook Golf Course, residents hold meeting 

Meadowbrook Golf Course has been closed since 2021. Photo by Seth Johnson
Meadowbrook Golf Course has been closed since 2021.
Photo by Seth Johnson

The hole-in-one days have faded at Meadowbrook Golf Course.  

Closed since 2021, the owner received a permit to build a two-story driving range, but the plans never reached construction. Now, Evergreen Residential is in due diligence to purchase the property and turn it into a housing development.  

The development plans haven’t been presented to the surrounding neighbors or Alachua County Growth Management as the work has just started. Golf course owner Christopher Marcum told Mainstreet in September that the land was under contract. 

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Residents of the Meadowbrook at Gainesville neighborhood worry about the coming changes. On Tuesday evening, around 70 residents gathered at the subdivision’s clubhouse to discuss the potential development and options for negotiating or stopping the needed zoning and land use changes.  

In a meeting with the neighborhood’s HOA, the developer gave a brief overview of what plans might look like. Linda Butcher, co-chair of the Meadowbrook community commission organizing residents, explained to attendees that the development could be 200-300 homes—compared to Meadowbrook’s 277 homes. 

The Meadowbrook neighborhood fits like a puzzle piece with the neighboring golf course and originally both were planned as one development. Since then, the ownership of the golf course and subdivision split.  

Meadowbrook is now the second golf course to be eyed for development after shuttering its doors and allowing the fairways to turn wild. West End Golf Course was considered for development for multiple years with various revisions presented.  

A coalition of surrounding residents—organized as WECARE—opposed the change, and the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) agreed with residents and refused to change the zoning and land use from recreational in a 2022 vote.  

WECARE’s success, and the subsequent purchase of West End by Alachua County for a public park, were brought to the forefront at Tuesday’s meeting. Residents hoped Meadowbrook Golf Course would follow a similar route to stay recreational.  

“We have some leverage here, people, and every one of them is sitting in these chairs because we pay taxes and we have a vote,” Butcher said. 

Through a show of hands, nearly all the residents at the meeting opposed a land use and zoning change for the golf course.  

Butcher and co-chair Debra Hodge laid out reasons for keeping the property recreational.  

In line with the reasoning of WECARE, Butcher said recreational space is needed in the area. From inside the meeting room, the faint beeping of a bulldozer could be heard as construction is underway for 140 homes directly across NW 98th Street. 

Residential construction is underway on the opposite side of NW 98th Street from Meadowbrook Golf Course. Photo by Seth Johnson
Photo by Seth Johnson Residential construction is underway on the opposite side of NW 98th Street from Meadowbrook Golf Course.

Butcher also highlighted the Springhills CDD that plans to build thousands of residential units, a mix of multifamily and single-family homes along with commercial spaces, over the coming years. The BOCC has already signed off phases of the project and will be very close to Meadowbrook.  

She said Jonesville Park—and the future West End site—are the closest recreational sites available to the current residents around the NW 39th and I-75 exchange. 

Where’s the green space, Butcher asked, if Springhills gets fully developed along with the Meadowbrook Golf Course? The only open areas will be drainage sites to deal with legacy flooding in the area.  

“If they were leaning in that direction for West End, maybe they’ll lean in that direction for us, too,” one resident said about keeping the land recreational. 

Flooding formed another reason for the residents.  

One resident noted that the golf course closed because of ongoing flooding. How could anyone build houses there?  

Another resident pointed to the county’s Climate Action Plan for support. He read how the county wants to encourage more buffers between flood plains and residential areas while also increasing the protection of flood plains. 

Because of flooding issues, Alachua County bought two homes inside the Hills of Santa Fe neighborhood that borders Meadowbrook to the south. Since Tropical Storm Elsa in 2021, which closed NW 39th Avenue where the golf course is, Alachua County has installed pumps in the area and improved drainage. Still, residents are worried about the impact of more homes.  

Butcher added that a 300-unit development would be out of harmony with the Meadowbrook neighborhood.  

Residents discussed the option of negotiating with the developer if plans move forward. The neighborhood could ask for privacy fences and pathways and to keep housing next to NW 98th Street as conditions of the county’s approval. 

Evergreen Residential, which is also building an apartment complex behind Oaks Mall, has yet to submit formal plans to Alachua County. The company will also need to hold a neighborhood workshop to officially take feedback from residents—including changes like privacy fences and other potential conditions. 

Evergreen declined to comment on plans until due diligence has been completed. 

But another show of hands showed less than 10 residents considered negotiation an approach to take. The others supported the option to oppose any zoning change from the start.  

Butcher pointed out that if the neighborhood is successful and no change in zoning happens. Then the land will continue to sit vacant until another potential buyer takes a shot. She said that’s why a purchase by Alachua County seems the best option.  

Butcher said she knows Meadowbrook won’t reopen as a golf course, but she said there are options besides housing. And she and residents are getting ready for whatever proposals might come.  

Golf courses have made headlines as the business changes.  

Gainesville County Club foreclosed and was sold at auction in 2024. As of October, it sat vacant without any work.  

Ironwood Golf Course entered a management watch in 2023 and has since returned to normal operations. Mayor Harvey Ward told Mainstreet in December that the city isn’t ready to close the course. 

The Turkey Creek Golf Course reopened in 2022 after being offline for a decade. Turkey Creek and Ironwood are the only public courses still open after West End and Meadowbrook closed.  

UF also operates the Mark Bostik Golf Course, and Hawkstone Country Club remains open in Haile Plantation. 

At a meeting for the future West End park, some residents said Alachua County should keep a driving range or 9-hole course on the site. Other options ranged from a swimming center to a dog park, walking trails to a professional pétanque site. 

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JeffK

It should stay recreational — or turned into conservation land — simply due to the flooding issues there. More pavement and rooftops would necessitate more retention ponds anyway. Will they be filled with alligators someday, something needing ugly fencing due to liability? Not very park looking.

Real Gainesville Citizen and Voter

Excellent idea!

Concerned citizen

I understand where the residents are coming from but the last thing alachua county need to be doing is buying more land . There is already to much municipality owned land in this county and that is why taxes are as high as they are . Between the county , UF and the city buying up land it is getting out of hand

Nancy

Can you imagine the traffic? It’s already a mess. I live at Country side and sometimes it takes me forever to get onto 39th. It should be a recreational zone.

James

The traffic is the result of 50 plus years of our local government and citizens opposing the infrastructure necessary to make our city work. Gville is a traffic disaster with grossly inadequate east west b traffic corridors and has been for decades

Cynthia Binder

Maybe a gardens waterway/ ponds or 💧 water garden a zen garden, rosary 📿 walk, vegetable garden , grill area, putt-putt golf course and connected all by an electric cho-cho🚂🚃🚂🚃🚂🚃🚊ride train.
Some are self maintained others are not. Walking trails .
A space emptied is nothing
A space filled with multiple use for multiple ages of enjoyment.
Even parking is there already.
Thank you ideas are thought
Empty is nothings.

Stan

The County can’t bail out every resident that chose to buy a house on a Golf Course.

Have some personal responsibility people!

Bruce Kritzler

Maybe develop the frontside along 98th(high ground). Keep the backside for greenway/passive recreation.