Newest city touts affordable housing

Welcome to Palm Beach County’s newest city: Westlake (pop. 5).

Only a handful of people live in this hamlet just north of Wellington. But when developer John Carter surveys the still mostly barren landscape, he sees South Florida’s next bustling and vibrant community.

The population will start climbing by the end of the year and could reach 15,000 as the development’s 4,500 homes are built over the next decade.

Since June 2016, Westlake’s five residents have voted to form a government in a bizarre mail-in election. The city now levies taxes and has been recognized by the U.S. Postal Service. A palm-tree-lined road has been built, leading to a sales center in what will eventually become the town center.

“A year ago, you would have been

standing in a field of grass,” says Carter, vice president of Minto Communities, Westlake’s developer.

Pitching a Florida lifestyle

At a grand opening event last weekend, about 3,500 people came — some from as far away as Coral Springs and Miami-Dade County, Carter said. About 20 made reservations to buy homes.

The development’s 3,800 acres used to be the Callery-Judge orange grove. Beyond that, swampland stretched as far as the eye could see. More than 11,000 homes have now been approved to be built in the area, making it one of South Florida’s fastest-growing areas.

Carter isn’t in the business of selling oranges. He’s pitching the Florida lifestyle.

More than 90 percent of the development’s first 325 homes in the Hammocks neighborhood will be on man-made lakes — some featuring screened-in pools with water views.

Models showcasing floor plans have been built, and homes will be ready for buyers to move into by the end of the year.

Carter is seeking pioneers — people who want to put down roots in one of the few areas of South Florida where glimpses of Old Florida can still be had. Developers are touting the development’s relative affordability, a place firefighters, teachers, nurses and other middle-class families can call home. Homes start at $276,000, but that’s lower than the county’s median sales price of $325,000. Top-end homes will approach $500,000.

Neighbors fought the development for years, fearing it would bring an influx of traffic to their quiet community. To get to Westlake, you’ll pass cattle grazing in fields, feed supply stores, homes on gravel roads and signs advertising horse boarding.

Out of that landscape, Westgate’s entrance markers now rise. Carter said he foresees a walkable community that will include offices, restaurants and shops. Residents could jump in a golf cart or hop on their bike to grab dinner at the town center. A pool, BMX course and other entertainment options will be available to residents.