"We have wanted a free-standing library for Nocatee for four years… to combine the parks and library, is that not an unbelievable concept?" Commissioner Krista Joseph said that at the May 1 groundbreaking for Ponte Vedra Nocatee Regional Park and Nocatee Library, according to St. Johns County's account of the ceremony.
Nocatee's project got the ceremony and the quotes. It also broke ground last of the four park-and-library campuses St. Johns County is building, and the county's own schedules point to it opening last. The first new public gathering place in northern Saint Johns will be on Timberwolf Trail in SilverLeaf. There, two county parks sit across the street from each other, and both are scheduled to open in early 2027.
The Order the Shovels Went In
Each of the four sites broke ground at a different time, and the expected opening dates follow the same order.
- Silverleaf Sportsplex and Shearwater Community Park and Library broke ground together in June 2025. The county expects both to open in early 2027.
- Greenbriar Park and Library broke ground on March 10, 2026, and is expected in late 2027.
- Ponte Vedra Nocatee Regional Park and Nocatee Library broke ground on May 1, 2026. The county says only that the sites "will begin opening throughout 2027."
That schedule runs well past the original one. In April 2024, the county announced that construction of the full campus plan would begin that year and "be completed by the end of 2026." With 2026 almost over, the first two parks are now expected to open early next year and the last pieces later still. At the March 11 Recreation Advisory Board meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Ryan Kane said Silverleaf and Shearwater were "set to be completed by December." The county's April release gives early 2027 as the expected opening for both.
Timberwolf Trail Gets Two Parks at Once
The Silverleaf Sportsplex sits at Timberwolf Trail and County Road 16A, on a 40-acre site inside the SilverLeaf community. Shearwater Community Park is just north of it on Timberwolf Trail. Kane told the advisory board the two "will be across the street from each other." Together they cost about $48.3 million.
The two sites are built for different kinds of use, so they work as a pair.
- Silverleaf Sportsplex, about $36 million. Four synthetic turf multipurpose fields, three natural grass fields, and a synthetic turf stadium field with a track. Every field will be lit for evening play. The site also gets a playground, restrooms, a concession stand and parking.
- Shearwater Community Park and Library, about $12.3 million. A community center with a library hub and multipurpose rooms, plus an "airnasium," a covered open-air structure over a basketball court. Outside there is a second, uncovered basketball court, eight pickleball courts, a splash pad, a playground, a skatepark and open green space.
The track stands out. Kane described it as "the first public track in St. Johns County that is not at a school." He also said the pair would be a summer camp site and a location for after-school programs. The county held the June 2025 groundbreaking for both projects next to Trout Creek Academy.
The Shearwater library is a hub, not a full branch. The St. Johns County Public Library System's construction page describes a walk-up book drop, a holds pickup area for all ages, and a focus on early literacy for children ages 0 to 12. It lists the opening as winter 2027. The same page puts Shearwater about 9 miles from the Bartram Trail Branch Library. For families on the SilverLeaf side of County Road 16A, that is the gap the hub closes.
Greenbriar Fills In the West Side Next
Greenbriar Park and Library, at 505 Rally Road, is a $23.8 million project. It will have two softball fields, two baseball fields, pickleball courts, a playground, and a full-service library and community center. Kane told the advisory board the building will also have space for the Supervisor of Elections and will likely serve as another summer camp location.
The county lists Greenbriar for late 2027. The library system says fall 2027 and describes a recreation center, a walk-up book drop and shared programming spaces. It puts the site 5 miles from Bartram Trail and 4 miles from Shearwater. Once Greenbriar opens, the west side of northern Saint Johns will have three library points within a few miles of each other where Bartram Trail used to be the only one.
Nocatee's Date Depends on Which Office You Ask
At $42 million, the Nocatee campus at 670 Diego Plains Road is the most expensive of the four sites. It is planned with two multipurpose fields, four softball fields, six pickleball courts, a playground and a full-service library. Board Chair Clay Murphy credited the Davis family and the PARC Group with donating the land.
The opening date is less settled than at the other three sites.
| Source | What it says about the Nocatee site |
|---|---|
| St. Johns County, May 14, 2026 release | The plan's sites "will begin opening throughout 2027," with no date given for Nocatee |
| St. Johns County Public Library System construction page | Projected target opening of 2028 for the branch library |
The library page also calls this branch "Northeast," after the project's original name. It describes a full-service library with a drive-up book drop and a public meeting room, 9.5 miles from the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library and 1.5 miles from Davis Park. It adds that "more information will be shared as plans are finalized." The two schedules may not conflict, since fields and a library building can open at different times. Still, the library is the part of the Nocatee project the community asked for most, and that part is the one listed furthest out.
Why the Libraries Came Along With the Ballfields
Libraries were not in the plan at first. When commissioners unanimously approved the regional park plan on April 2, 2024, Commissioner Christian Whitehurst amended it to consider a full-service library in Nocatee, citing "the vast needs of the community of 32,000 residents." The approved plan also added library hubs at the central park, now Shearwater, and the northwest park, now Greenbriar. Joseph's "unbelievable concept" remark at the May groundbreaking goes back to that amendment.
County Budget Director Jesse Dunn said at the time that no property taxes would pay for construction. The county planned to use accumulated impact fees from development plus a debt issuance, and to repay the debt with impact fees, tourism tax dollars and recurring state-remitted revenue. The 2024 estimate for five projects was $123 million. By May 2026, the county described the full plan as an investment of over $110 million.
The fifth 2024 line item was a $3 million conversion of the softball fields at Davis Park to baseball and turf fields, with more parking. In March, Kane told the advisory board that the Davis Park work, including artificial turf and added parking, would be part of the Northeast park construction and should begin by the end of May.
What's Already Changed While You Wait
Not every improvement depends on a 2027 ribbon cutting. Alpine Groves Park is at 2060 State Road 13. In March, parks staff told the advisory board about its new owl-shaped playground, a one-of-a-kind Kompan design. They said the trail was being redone and a second phase was starting soon. The county's project page for the Silverleaf Sportsplex and the library system's construction updates are the two pages to check for revised dates as early 2027 gets closer. The library page also links to construction photo albums for Shearwater and Greenbriar.
If you're wondering how close your street is to the new Timberwolf Trail parks, or what Greenbriar and the Nocatee campus will mean for your part of Saint Johns, Katie Kravtsov is happy to talk it through with you. Schedule a free consultation and we can look at the map together.
