A rendering of Drive Shack’s planned driving range in Orlando. (Courtesy Drive Shack)
A high-tech, three-story golf and entertainment venue planned in Goochland County is facing the first of two important hurdles Thursday.
Drive Shack, a New York-based driving range brand, goes before the Goochland Planning Commission tonight for a vote on its request to rezone a 13-acre site that abuts Route 288 just north of West Broad Street.
The 60,000-square-foot development, which would next face the county’s Board of Supervisors, will feature around 90 driving range bays stacked on three levels, along with a central restaurant, a shop, lounges, a gaming room, rentable event space and an outdoor terrace on the upper level.
The publicly traded company, which also owns dozens of golf courses nationwide, has estimated the Goochland location will cost upwards of $25 million. It will be the firm’s second location in development, along with one in Orlando.
Local attorney Andy Condlin of Roth Jackson is representing Drive Shack in its rezoning request to allow business use on the site. Its 13 acres are part of a 121-acre tract owned by the Pruitt family. The plot would give Drive Shack visibility from three surrounding main thoroughfares and accessibility from a planned road off West Broad Street.
Condlin has said the company would need a nine- to 11-month construction schedule to build the facility once all county approvals are in place.
The county’s planning commission meets Thursday night at 6:45 at 1800 Sandy Hook Road.
A report from the county planning staff, separate from the planning commission vote, gave a favorable estimation of Drive Shack’s plans.
“Properly regulated, this request would be consistent with the comprehensive plan and support future economic development in this area,” the staff report stated.
The Pruitt plot is designated by the county’s comprehensive plan as “prime economic development.”
“The location of this use at the intersection of Interstate 64 and Route 288 makes this an ideal location for a tourist, entertainment venue,” the staff report continued.
Should Drive Shack win approval from the county for its plans, it likely will have beat rival Topgolf to the punch in the Richmond market.
Topgolf, a fast-growing Texas-based frontrunner in this niche of golf and entertainment, already has about 30 locations open, including Virginia Beach, Loudon and Alexandria. It lists a dozen locations in the works and has said the Richmond market is on its radar.
