SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – More than a decade since Rolling Hills Golf Club closed in the Longwood area, it looks like construction is finally about to begin to turn the old course into a community park.
On Tuesday, commissioners took another step forward towards the transformation. Our News 6 team spoke with the director of the Parks & Recreation Department, Rick Durr, about the anticipated start date.
“We’ll have signed contracts with the contract here shortly once the board finishes with business,” said Durr. “And then the contractor will start to mobilize according to their contracts and schedule. They would be starting that in earnest in about March.”
The Rolling Hills golf course, which was originally established in 1926, closed over ten years ago. Homeowners fought a plan to put houses in its place before the county purchased the former golf course property in 2018.
[COVERING SEMINOLE COUNTY: Commissioners consider future of closed Winter Springs golf course]
Plans have been underway to transform nearly 100 acres into a public park for years, but there have been roadblocks along the way, including the discovery that some of the old golf course land was contaminated.
“There’s just a lot of moving pieces,” Durr explained. “We’ve had groundwater remediation to deal with. We’ve had soil remediation to deal with. All of that’s been completed, but all of that then goes through the state. So, we’ve had multiple state agencies that have had to approve the project as it goes through various reviews.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners mentioned some of the history before taking the next steps forward towards the finish line.
“I’ve owned two homes in that neighborhood and lived there for 20 plus years,” said Commissioner Andria Herr. “We were all very well advised of it.”
[WATCH: Seminole County golf course to become a park (from 2019)]
The $20,360,224 project includes plans for a 4-mile paved trail, landscaping upgrades, pavilions, a pier overlook, parking, and more.
“It will be fully ADA accessible,’ said Durr. “So where we have some difficult grades, we’ll flatten some things out and make sure they all work out.”
Durr explained the improvements go beyond the park, too, and also include upgrades to utilities and roads. Work on phase 1 will include the reconstruction of North Street, where a roundabout will be put in.
The county anticipates construction on phase 1 will be done in 2027.
Homeowners like Luke Fulford said he remembers playing golf at Rolling Hills.
“I’m sad that it’s gone, but I’m glad,” said Fulford. “I’m just glad that they’re not putting in houses. I mean, there might be more traffic, but that’s everywhere.”
Seminole County is also working to develop Deer Run, another old golf course, into a park. It was purchased in 2021. A design agreement for the clubhouse was approved in November, and the design process is expected to continue this year.