Two Plantation Preserve design contracts worth $1.56 million go to the City Council on Wednesday. The comprehensive plan vote slips again, to Nov. 18.
The Plantation City Council will consider $1.56 million in design work for the city-owned Plantation Preserve Golf Course and its clubhouse on Wednesday. The two contracts would take both projects from concept to construction drawings.
The council meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at City Hall, 400 NW 73rd Ave. The agenda and backup documents are posted on the city’s public comment site.
Also on Wednesday’s agenda:
- the final vote on the city’s new comprehensive plan has been pushed back again, to Nov. 18
- a second and final vote on letting donation drop-off centers open in shopping centers
- a discussion of Amendment 3, the property tax measure on the Nov. 3 ballot
The golf course contracts
Both contracts are on the consent agenda, the list of items the council can approve in a single vote.
| Contract | Firm | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Golf course improvements, phase 2: landscape architecture | Miller, Legg & Associates | $790,943 |
| Clubhouse renovation: architecture | Frank Costoya Architect | $765,520 |
| Total | $1,556,463 |
The golf course contract covers design, construction documents, permitting support and bidding, according to the city staff summary. The money comes from three places:
- $353,885 rolled over from the 2026 budget year
- $275,000 in the 2027 budget
- $162,058 from fund balance
The clubhouse contract covers design, permitting, bidding and construction administration. The clubhouse project has $2 million in the 2027 budget and $375,656 rolled over from 2026, the clubhouse staff summary says. Both firms already did the first-phase assessments and work under existing city continuing-services agreements.
What the clubhouse could look like
The council settled on a clubhouse plan at an Oct. 7 workshop, according to the workshop minutes. The architect’s team had found deteriorating stucco and waterproofing, cracked slabs, roof trusses with missing bolts and wood decay, and “numerous” accessibility problems.
The architect priced three options. The council reached consensus on a fourth, Concept D, drawn from all three. It is estimated at $3.4 million to $3.6 million to build, including a 10% to 15% contingency. It includes:
- a starter pavilion with restrooms and showers, placed to face sunset views over the lake
- a relocated, larger bar opening onto the covered terrace through a folding glass wall
- a covered outdoor courtyard
- pro shop improvements and renovated restrooms with outside access
- about 800 square feet of added storage
- an IT closet for a golf ball tracking system
Council President Denise Horland called the course “a gem in our city.” She said it is “first and foremost a golf club” and that she did not want to compete with high-end private clubs. She said she preferred a budget of about $2.5 million, the minutes show.
When work could start
The architect told the council design would need to begin by November. The aim is to submit for permits by the end of the second quarter of 2027. Clubhouse construction would take about 14 months.
Dylan Larson of Miller Legg said golf course construction is targeted to begin in 2028, ahead of the clubhouse. His update included:
- a replacement recharge well for the course
- a reworked driving range with 10 bays of ball-tracking technology
- three broken irrigation lines, on holes 1, 6 and 7, since Sept. 10
He said the course could be open during clubhouse work as long as the restrooms and pro shop were operating.
The comprehensive plan slips to Nov. 18
The proposed 2025-2045 comprehensive plan would replace the city’s current plan in full. It sets the rules for future land use, housing, transportation, drainage, parks and more.
It was due for its final vote Wednesday. A deferral memo from the city’s planning department moves it to the Nov. 18 council meeting “to allow the public additional time to review” it. The memo says a town hall-style discussion will be held at the Nov. 10 Planning and Zoning Board meeting.
This is the third delay. The council continued the item from Aug. 26 to Sept. 9. The city then moved it to Oct. 21 in response to residents’ requests, the memo says. The proposed plan and related state correspondence are on the city’s comprehensive plan web page.
Donation drop-off centers
The council takes a second and final vote on a code change requested by Goodwill Industries of South Florida. It would allow storefront donation centers as a conditional use in six zoning districts: B-1P, B-2L, B-2P, B-3P, M-FCC and I-LP. The council approved it 5-0 on first reading on Oct. 7, according to the Oct. 7 minutes.
Under the proposal, as described at that meeting and in Goodwill’s letter of intent:
- the centers only take donations and sell nothing
- they take mostly clothing, with no furniture or large appliances
- donation bins outside the store are not allowed
- each shopping plaza can have only one
Goodwill’s letter says a center sees about 40 to 50 donors a day. City planning staff said no locations have been identified. Each one would need its own approval.
Other items
- Amendment 3. City Administrator Jason Nunemaker has a discussion item on the measure. It would raise the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes, according to the statewide ballot wording. No backup documents are posted for the item.
- Summer camp buses. A one-year contract with C & L Bus Co. at $110 an hour per bus, after a first round of bidding drew no offers and a second drew one.
- Wastewater plant. A $64,749 replacement aeration blower, after one of four blowers seized and could not be repaired.
- Surplus property. A first vote on an ordinance that staff say brings the city’s surplus policy in line with state law.
What it means for you
- To comment on an item, use the e-comment link beside it on the agenda page. Comments close at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and become part of the public record.
- To speak by video, register by 5 p.m. Tuesday through the city’s meetings page. You can also speak in person at City Hall.
- To watch, the meeting streams live on plantation.org.
- Golfers: course construction is targeted for 2028, Miller Legg told the council.
- On the comprehensive plan, the Nov. 10 Planning and Zoning Board meeting is the next chance to ask questions before the Nov. 18 vote.
For who runs what at the city, see our City Hall contacts guide. For permits and rezonings, see our building permits and zoning guide.
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