Construction of a new recreational park and public library serving the Nocatee community is scheduled to begin this year after a recent decision from the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The new facilities will be built on 49 acres of land donated to the county by the Davis Family and The PARC Group, the developers of Nocatee.
This month, the BOCC unanimously authorized an estimated $123 million plan to construct five regional parks and community centers across the county, including the much-anticipated project in Nocatee.
The $43 million plan for the new Northeast Community Park in Nocatee includes:
- Fields for baseball, softball, soccer, and multipurpose uses
- Pickleball and sand volleyball courts
- A children’s splash pad
- Picnic pavilions
- Paved walking paths
- Fishing pond and kayak dock
- Kid’s splash pad
- Climbing wall and play areas
- A community center with indoor space to support the Supervisor of Elections
The plans also include the construction of a full-service Public Library branch to serve the needs of the community’s 32,000 residents. “The PARC Group thanks the St. Johns County Commissioners for making this project possible,” said Rick Ray, CEO of The PARC Group. “We especially appreciate the efforts of Commissioners Christian Whitehurst and Henry Dean for championing the addition of a full library, a long-awaited and welcome addition to the Nocatee Community.”
onstruction of the five-park campus project is expected to begin in 2024 and be completed by the end of 2026.
As for next steps, a financing package will be presented to the BOCC for consideration at a future meeting date, according to the County Administrator. The County says no property taxes will be used to pay for the construction costs; it plans to use a combination of existing accumulated impact fees paid by developments and debt issuance to fund a Commission-approved program.
This plan, combined with previous financial commitments to parks, means that St. Johns County has invested $200 million over five years into county-wide parks and recreation facilities to support various programs and services.
Additions to the area — from new businesses to expanded school options — have contributed to the ongoing demand for new homes and the Nocatee Lifestyle. In 2024, Niche ranked the master-planned community the #1 Best Suburb to Raise a Family in Florida for the fourth consecutive year.
