The Project

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The Former Golden Gate Golf Course was developed as an 18-hole golf course between 1963 and 1973. The County took ownership of the former course on July 31, 2019, and chose not to continue golf operations at that time but to simply maintain the property until the ultimate uses could be realized. The Board of County Commissioners identified several uses for the property. The County selected Davidson Engineering, a planning and engineering firm, to help the County through the development process and intent to convert process.

The purpose of the Golden Gate Golf Course Conversion is to permit the proposed redevelopment of the property and meet the intent of Golden Gate City’s Vision Statement, “Golden Gate City is a safe, diverse, family-oriented community that offers easy access to education, parks, shopping and services within a vibrant, walkable community.” The goal is to effectively redevelop the Golden Gate Golf Course while also creating a sense of place for the community.

The property is 165.08-acres and is located at the southwest corner of the Golden Gate Parkway/Collier Boulevard intersection, less than a mile north of the I-75/ Collier Boulevard interchange. Collier County purchased the golf course in 2019 with understanding the importance of the property’s acquisition for redevelopment potential within the Urban area.

Redevelopment plans include a redesigned public golf course, or alternatively a public park that will provide passive recreational uses. In addition, redevelopment plans also include providing affordable housing for essential service personnel and seniors, a Veterans Nursing Home, Essential Services/Government Offices, and the potential for commercial uses. Multimodal pathways are proposed throughout the site to provide pedestrian interconnects between uses, which will enhance the property by creating a walkable, pedestrian-friendly community. The vision for the property is to create a unified, campus-like plan that will complement and benefit the surrounding community.

A portion of the eastern property line will be utilized for the Collier Boulevard widening project. As part of the widening project, construction of sidewalks and pedestrian interconnects/crosswalks are planned and will provide connectivity from the subject property to the Collier County Sports Complex, located within the City Gate Commerce Park PUD. Consequently, enhancing and improving pedestrian walkability beyond the subject property and benefiting the community as a whole.

To address compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, a greenway will border abutting residential properties. Mature, on-site trees will be preserved to the extent possible and existing lakes will be retained, both to support existing wildlife and to retain views for the surrounding community. Dark Skies compliant lighting will be installed to minimize light pollution and spillover to adjacent properties. The location of land uses and recreational amenities will be strategically planned to minimize impacts to abutting properties. Lastly, similar design standards to the Golden Gate Parkway Overlay will be utilized.

 To date, public information meetings have been held to discuss the project by both Commissioner Saunders and Commissioner Taylor. Multiple public meetings are proposed during the conversion process, to collaborate ideas and achieve consensus amongst stakeholders for the proposed project.