A New York-based company’s plan to build a three-story, 60,000-square-foot driving range and entertainment venue near Short Pump received unanimous approval from Goochland County Wednesday night.
Drive Shack’s request to rezone 13 acres of land along Route 288 and Interstate 64, just off West Broad Street passed through the county board of supervisors, having already passed easily through the planning commission early last month.
The estimated $25 million development would include around 90 driving bay suites stacked on three levels, allowing for interactive multiplayer games, as well as a restaurant, shop and lounge, with additional room for meetings and events. It will be among the company’s first locations in nationwide, as it races to beat more established competitor Topgolf into mid-sized markets.
Supervisors raised questions regarding discrepancies in the application’s proposed parking versus the project’s conceptual plan, as well as the development’s proximity to an overlay district, which would require the project to meet stricter architectural and aesthetic provisions.
However, Director of Community Development Jo Ann Hunter assured the board that parking needs were being evaluated as architectural plans developed, with 411 maximum projected spaces.
Hunter also noted the Drive Shack development remained outside of the county’s nearby overlay district. She added that the project better fit the overlay district’s requirements than the Page Audi dealership that the Drive Shack project directly abuts, even with the Drive Shack development’s netting structure, which rises up to 175 feet to contain golf balls.
Concessions were also being made for increased traffic to the area, including the construction of a new road between the Drive Shack property and the Audi dealership, Four Rings Road, and an emergency access to nearby Three Chopt Road.
An additional extension to Three Chopt Road was also recommended in conjunction to this rezoning. Property owner Pruitt Properties has agreed to dedicate space for the new roadway, which would be built below Route 288 and in front of the Drive Shack property.
With visibility from both Route 288 and Interstate 64, as well as proximity to Short Pump, the property was designated by the county’s conceptual plan as a “prime economic development,” Hunter said.
Drive Shack representative Andy Condlin of law firm Roth Jackson was in attendance Wednesday evening, though no further questions were posed to him by the Board.
Drive Shack has at least one other location in development in Orlando, in addition to owning dozens of golf courses nationwide.
