Construction to begin on work force housing

Developer PulteGroup will begin construction on work force housing in West Palm Beach.

Merry Place Estates, made up of 34 townhomes and two single-family homes, will be in the Pleasant City neighborhood, a couple blocks from the downtown area. David B. Kanarek, senior manager of community associations and land project manager for PulteGroup’s South Florida Division, said the developer was excited to bring work force housing to an area that’s undergoing revitalization.

“These homes are needed,” he said.

The project is part of an agreement with Palm Beach County, which also gives PulteGroup approval to build a nearly 1,000-home project in Lake Worth known as The Fields, where home prices begin at about $327,000.

PulteGroup received a “bonus density” by the county for The Fields’ 919 single-family homes and townhome community. Construction is ongoing in that project, and about 200 homes have been closed on, he said.

Kanarek said the developer had the choice to pay a $2.9 million fee — $81,500 for each of the 36 units — or construct work force housing on or off site of the new project. PulteGroup opted to build off site, on land owned by the West Palm Beach Housing Authority. The 34 townhomes at Merry Place Estates will start at $156,030. Measuring more than 1,600 square feet, each townhome will have three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a garage.

The two single-family homes will be priced at $200,160. The square footage has not been decided, but the homes will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The Housing Authority will market and sell the homes to qualified buyers who meet income requirements. To qualify, a family of four would have to earn no more than $92,280 a year.

The project had a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday, and Kanarek said construction will start “very soon. We have our permits in hand.”

Said Jennifer Ferriol, program manager for the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development: “We’re so excited to see homeownership in the area. Historically, Pleasant City has had a low homeownership rate.”