Commercial / Retail Portion

The City moved forward seeking a conceptual plan design for the commercial / retail portion of the Heron Bay property. This resulted in a selected planner to create a concept for the property that is a complement to the immediate surrounding area and Parkland as a whole.

At the June 7, 2023 Commission meeting, the City Commission approved a Request for Proposal (RFP) committee ranking which selected 505 Design to create that concept design for the commercial property. The design will be an idea of what might go on the property and be an appropriate complement to the community while maintaining successful service to the area long-term.

History of the Property

With a storied past of having hosted the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic for six years (1997-2002), the property was no longer an operating golf course. In fact, the golf course and the accompanying clubhouse closed in 2019.

The North Springs Improvement District (NSID), which, among other things, provides water treatment, wastewater collection, and stormwater management to nearly 40,000 residents in the cities of Parkland and Coral Springs, bought the entire golf course (approximately 223 acres) for $32 million in 2019. At that time, it was reported that it appraised for $33.5 million. Nine years earlier a Canadian-based golf course management company named ClubLink bought the golf course for $4.75 million.

After its purchase in 2019, NSID indicated that approximately 150 acres of the property would be used for stormwater management. That open green space will also allow for recreational walking trails. A portion of the property will be the site of a memorial for the 17 victims of the February 14, 2018, tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

That left approximately 70 acres of available land from the original NSID purchase—land NSID intended to develop in an effort to recoup the cost of its purchase. Land that can be developed is valuable and developing a portion of the golf course could defray much, if not all, of the original purchase price. NSID initiated an RFP, then released another, but, before moving forward with a developer, eventually accepted the offer from the City of Parkland to buy 65 acres.

It was in late Summer of 2022 that the City began exploring the possibility of purchasing the property. Ultimately, on September 21, 2022, the City Commission approved the purchase for $25.4 million.

The City’s desire to buy the property was born out of a lack of exciting proposals that would be a complement to Parkland. The prevailing logic was, the City has greater control over the fate of the property if it drives the process and generally directs prospective developers. Once a developer is selected by the City, the developer’s knowledge, experience, and resources will serve to ensure the completed project has sufficient appeal to be successful and last long-term.