LONGWOOD, Fla. — Properties at the Rolling Hills Golf Club community in Longwood have been seeing their property values take a hit since the golf course closed in 2014, but homeowners are now starting to feel more optimistic these days because of a new project.

Seminole County is building a new 98-acre park on the property. The county executed a contract to buy the course in October 2016 for just under four million dollars. It officially closed in August of last year.

Alan Floren has lived across the street from the now-former 10th hole of Rolling Hills Golf Club for 21 years. He admits he’s not a golfer, but was OK with the proximity.

The course has been closed since 2014, but it’s now in the process of being converted into a county park. It will have a nature trail, picnic, and pet areas, as well as bicycle access.

“It will be something that we can actively use instead of having to go to Cranes Roost (Park) for a walk or to any of the trail systems,” Floren said with excitement.  “You can go for a walk right across the street from your home and enjoy all the benefits of that without going very far.”

Since the county closed on the property nearly a year ago they have been hard at work. The grass is being mowed, weeds have been pulled out, and structures on the golf course have come down. The first portion of the park is expected to open in the fall.

“It’s still a multiyear rollout for the features of this park, but it is something that we can open segments of this as we roll over the next few years,” said Seminole County Division Manager of Parks Richard Durr.

Plans for every former hole have not been solidified yet, but the county hopes there will be something for everybody.

“You can start to picture on any given hole how a new story can unfold,” Durr said. “This can be the space out here where you have an activity that a family makes memories at throwing the Frisbee around.”

Currently the county is maintaining the property as if it was a fully operational park, but it is closed for now.

When this park is complete, it will be a passive park, meaning there will be no organized leagues for play.

The final cost for the completion of the park has not been determined yet. The county is still determining how they will construct the 98 acres of property.