Tequesta Country Club unveils scaled, single‑story clubhouse plan; council hears conceptual presentation

Tequesta Country Club (TCC) representatives presented a conceptual plan to the Village Council of Tequesta to demolish and replace the existing 1957 clubhouse, build a new golf maintenance facility and construct a single‑story halfway house, while retaining parking on the east side of Country Club Drive.

Nicole Plunkett, co‑president of Kotler and Herring (landscape architecture and land planning), told the council the club has worked for several years with staff, members and nearby residents and that the current petition reduces earlier two‑story proposals to a single‑story design for both the clubhouse and the halfway house. Renderings shown to the council emphasize a low‑profile, “understated Florida” style with higher ceilings and more natural light than the existing clubhouse.

Plunkett said the club intends to use a phased approach: Phase 1 would build the new maintenance facility (relocated toward the course interior) and the halfway house (to preserve food and beverage service during construction); Phase 2 would demolish the existing clubhouse and build the new clubhouse. The club and its planners said the east parking lot on the opposite side of Country Club Drive would not change under the current plan.

Planning staff and the applicant explained that parts of the club parcel are currently zoned R‑1A residential and differ from the actual recreational use. The project will therefore require a land use amendment, rezoning to Recreation/Open Space, a special exception in the Recreation/Open Space zoning district and site plan approval; those processes include state review for land‑use amendments when required. Plunkett said some variances may be needed to address existing nonconformities, but the team will aim to bring the site into greater conformity with current standards where possible.

Council members generally praised the design and the applicant’s outreach to residents. Several council members expressed particular interest in preserving the mature oak trees along Country Club Drive and minimizing temporary clearing or “shock‑and‑awe” construction impacts visible to nearby neighbors. Neighbors in the public comment period asked the council to leave the east parking parcel zoned R‑1A rather than rezone it, saying rezoning could permit future recreational uses they do not want.

No vote was taken; the item was a conceptual presentation. The applicant plans formal submissions of a land use amendment, site plan and special exception applications over the coming months, with construction timelines that the applicant estimated could begin with the halfway house and maintenance facility in late 2025 and finish the clubhouse in 20 months after construction start, if approvals are obtained.

Why it matters: The project would replace aging clubhouse infrastructure, change site layout and trigger land‑use and zoning approvals that affect the village comprehensive plan and future development controls for the property. Residents and council members emphasized tree preservation, sightline and noise impacts, and the implications of rezoning the east parking lot across Country Club Drive.