Portion of former Goochland golf course up for auction

Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development Corp. is selling it 151 acres of the former Royal Virginian Golf Course. (BizSense file)

There’s been yet another twist in the tale of the former Royal Virginian Golf Course in Goochland County.

A 151-acre portion of the course, the whole of which has been shuttered since 2018, is now up for auction.

The auction was initiated by Humanitarian Ambassadors of America Community Development Corp., which bought the same acreage in May 2022 for $750,000.

Led by Arlene Simmons, the nonprofit had initially planned an ambitious project for the property dubbed the Gardens of Tranquility, which would have included a memorial for those who died from COVID-19.

But last month the group abandoned its plans for the property and put it up for sale through a traditional listing with real estate agent Stephanie Taylor of EXP Realty with a listing price of $1.8 million.

Arlene Simmons

Since then, Simmons and her group had a need to accelerate the sale process and enlisted local auction firm Dudley Resources to put the site up for auction.

The auction began April 20 and is set to end May 10 at 3 p.m. The opening bid is $400,000.

Simmons said the aim is to fetch far more than that opening bid. She said the property, which sits at 3016 Royal Virginia Parkway, was appraised at more than $1.8 million. It includes the 151 acres and the Royal Virginian’s 3,200-square-foot former clubhouse, which has received some upgrades since Simmons’ group took ownership.

Dudley Resources’ listing describes the property as “a rare opportunity for developers and investors looking for prime real estate.”

The site is zoned A-1 and can accommodate any agricultural use, including a winery or vineyard, hops farm or brewery, or hemp farming or processing.

The listing states that the site is eligible for wetlands banking and conservation easements, potentially allowing for tax credits to be reaped.

The former Royal Virginian clubhouse.

Dudley Resources’ Phil Bonnie is handling the auction listing.

Meanwhile, Simmons said her group still has dreams of creating a memorial in the same vein of what was envisioned in Goochland, just closer to Richmond.

She said she’s on the lookout for 5 to 200 acres in northern Chesterfield, the Southside of Richmond or western Henrico.

Simmons’ nonprofit has been around for 25 years. She describes the group as community advocates doing work related to issues of health, crime and homelessness.

The idea for a COVID memorial came to her after several of her relatives died who were stricken with the virus, and also volunteering as a hospice counselor for COVID patients and their families. She saw the old golf course property as a tranquil setting that would suit her vision, before shifting gears and relisting the site.

Simmons’ efforts are part of an up-and-down recent history for the Royal Virginian course, the entirety of which fell into foreclosure in 2011 and sold for $525,000, before being purchased by an entity tied to Charlotteville businessman Justin Beights in 2018 for $750,000.

Beights then shuttered the course and has since floated uses for the pastoral property, including planting trees for conservation tax credits and creating substance abuse recovery homes near a pond on the site.

Beights still owns the course’s remaining 107 acres, which sits across Royal Virginia Parkway from the portion being auctioned.

Beights, in a message Thursday, said he’s still considering building two recovery houses overlooking the lake on his property. He would then lease those homes to transitional housing providers.