Demolition Underway for ELM-designed Sawgrass Village Phase Two

Elevation for the new Aqua Grill at Sawgrass Village

Elevation for the new Aqua Grill at Sawgrass Village

Demolition recently began near the entrance to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach to prepare for the second phase of the Sawgrass Village commercial redevelopment.

Planners, architects and landscape architects at the local design firm ELM | Ervin Lovett Miller have led the planning and design efforts to transform this tired 1980s vintage shopping center into the festive community core of Ponte Vedra Beach.

By introducing an updated, distinct architectural character and enhancing pedestrian and vehicle access throughout the site, the ELM design team merged considerations for the business tenants, local patrons and other visitors to create a vibrant retail and restaurant destination.

Phase two of the project began in February with the initial demolition of several office buildings facing Florida State Road A1A and PGA Tour Boulevard. The primary focus of the phase two design is the completion of the Village Main Street shops, the signature feature of this revitalization, as well as the creation of new lakefront dining options.

“One of our main goals during the planning and design was to set a transformative vision for Sawgrass Village as the Heart of Ponte Vedra Beach. In order to make this a reality, our design team included new innovative dining experiences, improved retail space and a shopping street with a more desirable pedestrian-friendly streetscape environment,” said Russ Ervin, LEED AP BD+C, ELM founding partner and the project’s lead designer.

The completed first phase of the Village Main Street shops provides more than 18,000 square feet of retail space and establishes one side of this pedestrian corridor connecting the new Publix to the recently renovated Caffe Andiamo restaurant.

Before demolition begins on the lakefront shops, many of the existing merchants will be relocated into new retail suites along Main Street and will remain in business throughout the construction process.

Phase two construction will begin with the creation of Aqua Grill’s new lakefront location, along with a new 12,000-square-foot retail building positioned along Main Street.

Aqua Grill will be the only current phase two restaurant to remain in operation throughout the new construction. Once the restaurant’s new 5,000-square-foot facility is complete, then Aqua Grill will begin serving patrons from its new lakefront home facing PGA Tour Boulevard.

Once construction is complete for the restaurant and 12,000-square-foot retail building, work will begin on the balance of retail shops and restaurant space configured in three new buildings. These buildings will provide a combined 25,000 square feet of retail space as well as a new 8,000-square-foot lakefront dining option.

Front Street elevation at Sawgrass Village

Front Street elevation at Sawgrass Village

The initial retail shops and Aqua Grill are expected to be complete and open for business by May 2016 in time for THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. The remaining phases of construction will be completed after the 2016 tournament.

Given its unique location at the “front door” of the headquarters of the PGA Tour and THE PLAYERS Championship, the new and improved Sawgrass Village will provide an energetic, pedestrian-rich retail destination to welcome guests from around the world to this thriving oceanfront community.