Feb
 
19

The Vision of World Golf Village

Posted by: Sherry Davidson in News
 

Behind anything great, you find a great story. World Golf Village is no exception. In the 1980s, St. Johns County had less than 100,000 residents. It was inevitable that the area would blossom with the right vision and execution. Jim Davidson, President of Davidson Development, was the man for the job. 

Jim could see the pieces of the World Golf Village puzzle come together. “Not only could Jim see the Jacksonville market heading south and knew this was the perfect area between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, but he could see the pine trees becoming the development he envisioned,” shared Davidson Realty President and Jim’s wife, Sherry Davidson. “Jim saw beyond the golf courses, lakes, and homes and saw people walking their dogs and pushing their children in strollers on the sidewalks.” 

Jim was persistent in bringing World Golf Village to life. He met regularly with land planners, engineers, attorney’s and an environmental team to make sure the pieces came together as he planned. Although many along the way didn’t believe, Jim never doubted he could get the job done right. Once the World Golf Village developer financed a new interchange on Interstate 95, the development became extremely attractive to commuters, as World Golf Village was one of only a few options for buyers in St. Johns County who worked in Jacksonville. 

The pieces continued to come together after Jim brought the PGA TOUR and other golf organizations on board to build the World Golf Hall of Fame. From there, Jim assembled various partners for the golf courses, the hotel, and the retail stores to further bring attraction to the area. World Golf Village turned out to be exactly what people were looking for, including the Davidsons. Jim and Sherry Davidson were one of the first homeowners in World Golf Village and still live in World Golf Village to this day. 

While building World Golf Village, the Davidsons worked hard to protect the environment to ensure the community maintained its natural beauty. More than 2,775 acres, nearly half of the project site, was set aside for preservation. These efforts were recognized by the Florida Association of Realtors ®  when the Davidsons received the ENVY award in 2002. The ENVY award honor is given to developments that preserve Florida’s natural quality of life. 

The infrastructure added by World Golf Village paved the way for the development of other communities in the area like The Hutson Companies’ SilverLeaf, which will have 10,700 homesites, 2,650,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial space, and more than 3,500 acres of conservation land. It is clear that World Golf Village blazed the trail. 

The master planned community has prospered over the last 23 years and is regarded as one of the most desired communities on the First Coast. With more than 6,000 homes and more than 15,000 residents, World Golf Village provides a place to live that is picture perfect. Whether you are a golf lover eager to take advantage of the award winning golf courses or a family wanting to give their children the opportunity to attend fantastic public schools or interested in enjoying an active adult community, you have a home in World Golf Village.

World Golf Village has a vibrant history to be proud of and a legacy to look forward to, as it continues to be a highly sought-after area. No one knows World Golf Village better than Davidson Realty. If you are interested in calling World Golf Village home, contact Davidson Realty at (904) 940-5000.

 
 
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Join us at Davidson Realty’s headquarters in World Golf Village on Tuesday, September 5, at 6 p.m. when Jim Davidson will take attendees through the journey of World Golf Village from concept to completion.

Jim, who is President of Davidson Development, was the driving force behind the community’s strategy, establishment and growth.

Davidson Realtor Shelley Nemethy and Bank of England Mortgage Banker Andrew Merritt are sponsoring the free event, which is part of Davidson’s quarterly series featuring real estate related information.

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The greater World Golf Village area is buzzing with residential growth including more than 33,000 new homes in the works, which has been attracting interest from many businesses looking to serve the residents of our area. Davidson Realty has kept a close eye on the coming commerce to help buyers who are looking for conveniences like stores and restaurants.

“All along International Golf Parkway, especially west of I95, we are experiencing diversified commercial growth in several industries,” said Jim Davidson, President of Davidson Development, Inc. “The area’s residents have less and less need to travel north or east for access to businesses. They’re finding their needs are met right here. Soon, we believe major national retailers will become fixtures in our community.”

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Davidson Development is celebrating its’ 25th year as one of the First Coast’ premier development companies. The company was launched in May 1989 by Jim Davidson and Ed Gil after they purchased the development rights to World Golf Village from a partnership group formed in 1987.

An authority in the selection, planning, permitting, construction and marketing of long term, large scale mixed use real estate projects, Davidson Development has cultivated a reputation for smart real estate investments that continually yield high returns for investors.

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