South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Booming housing market big boost for West Boynton
Developer’s initial plan is to build at least 277 upscale homes
Thousands of new homes have risen in West Boynton, and even more are coming as South Florida’s housing market booms.
GL Homes, a developer that specializes in luxury homes and 55-and-over communities, plans to build at least 277 new homes — and likely hundreds more in the future — south of Boynton Beach Boulevard and west of Lyons Road as part of a new upscale community.
The project will be directly south of Valencia Reserve, a GL Homes property with more than 1,000 homes.
The land is being purchased from the Whitworth family, which operates Whitworth Farms in Palm Beach County’s Agricultural
Reserve. In total, GL Homes will acquire 580 acres of land, which will be split into two phases, said Kevin Ratterree, a vice president at GL Homes.
Construction on the first phase is projected to begin near the start of 2022, meaning homes could be finished by the end of that year.
Plans for the second phase, including the total number of houses, haven’t been completed
yet, Ratterree said.
The project is the latest to transform undeveloped West Boynton farm land into upscale communities.
Since 2009, four Valencia communities have opened along Lyons Road just south of Boynton Beach Boulevard, creating over 3,000 new homes. Individ
ual Valencia communities range between 500 to over
1,000 homes.
New development has sprouted on the Agricultural Reserve, a 22,000acre farming region west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. Environmentalists have previously shared concerns that increased development could put an end to a unique area in South Florida intended to limit suburban sprawl and preserve one of the nation’s most productive farming areas east of the Mississippi River.
To preserve farm land on the Agricultural Reserve, the county has a “60-40 rule, in which 60% of land must be preserved, while
40% can be used for development.
The new housing development comes as housing demand continues to surge, with pandemic-weary northerners flocking to South Florida.
“In the last year, we’ve had a very strong sales pace because we’ve had a lot of folks that are looking to get out of ... downtown highrise-type living because of COVID,” Ratterree said.
Kathy Grand, a real estate agent at HomeRep Inc., said she’s never seen a housing demand on par with the current situation, with eager buyers quickly swooping in on new properties.
“All the Valencias over there are very hot,” Grand said. “Anything that’s priced well goes immediately.
“There’s been such a surge of so many buyers and not enough homes for sale, so that of course has driven up the prices. They want a move-in-ready home. If there’s a home that’s absolutely gorgeous and those homes command a high price, people are willing to pay for it at this point in time.”
One beneficiary of the housing boom is Barry Waters, who moved with his wife from Coral Springs to Valencia Sound in September, seeking a
55-and-over community with amenities.
Waters said they moved in “before the prices really went up” and since then, the value of their home has increased by more than
$100,000.
Waters said he has no intention of moving, but he’s been surprised by the continued surge in demand.
“It’s absolutely crazy and unprecedented,” Waters said. “It’s crazy the number of house sales. The way it’s been able to drive up the prices is unbelievable.
“Who would have ever thought people would be fleeing New York to move to Lyons Road in Palm Beach County two years ago?”