New homes in Gardens’ heart rare
Developer builds Alton to help fill that much-desired niche.
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Buyers looking for a new house centrally located in Palm Beach Gardens have limited choices, and one of the biggest developers in Palm Beach County knows it.
Alton, the Kolter Homes development between Donald Ross and Hood roads west of Central Boulevard, is the only new construction of single-family homes in the heart of the city. The twoto six-bedroom houses range in price from the high $500,000s to well more than $1 million.
And apparently people are willing to pay a premium for the location, Kolter representatives and a Realtor said.
It’s the only major new construction that’s close to I-95, highly-rated schools, Abacoa, Donald Ross Village and the beach, luxury Realtor Jeff Lichtenstein, said.
Some Realtors said there were complaints the homes were overpriced when Alton first opened. Lichtenstein said he heard those complaints, but the homes are selling. New houses with more land farther west aren’t as conveniently located near restaurants and shopping centers on PGA Boulevard or houses of worship, he said.
“Alton can ask for a premium in there because of the scarcity of the product that it has,” Keep up with The Post’s complete coverage of Palm Beach Gardens on its Facebook page dedicated to the city. On Facebook, search for Post on Palm Beach Gardens.
Lichtenstein, of Echo Fine Properties, said.
New development in Palm Beach Gardens is primarily townhouses, condos or apartments. Single-family homes in the Ancient Tree and Avenir developments haven’t been built and are on the western edge of the city.
Kolter markets Alton as “3 miles to everywhere.”
“Our prices, I think, are right on value,” John Manrique, the
vice president of marketing for Kolter Homes, said.
The first buyer moved into a townhouse in Alton this past July. More than 130 houses sold, with 88 closings completed, said Marc Friedman, Kolter Homes’ vice president of sales. There are 360 houses, including 143 townhouses, in the first phase of the development. Townhouses are about 30 percent of sales.
Realtor Kimiko Deguchi recently sold a house in Alton to clients who were moving from New York. They had modern tastes and struggled to find a house for sale elsewhere. The ability to pick their own finishes on a new house in Alton, the schools and the overall plan for the development appealed to them, Deguchi said.
Alton will have a Town Center with stores, restaurants and outdoor gathering space on 40 acres east of Alton Road. Owners Brock Development and North American Development Group in the fall hoped to have the businesses open by 2018.
The buyers compromised on a smaller floor plan than they initially sought to stay within their budget, Deguchi said.
Houses built about 2005 and 2006, before the recession halted growth, tend to be Mediterranean rather the modern, open floor plans buyers prefer today, Lichtenstein said.
Buyers in Alton can choose an island, Spanish or contemporary look for the exterior architecture, Friedman said. Most houses can be designed to create above-garage living space for boomerangs — adults who move back home after college — or elderly parents, he said. They range from about 2,000 to more than 5,000 square feet.
A clubhouse with tennis courts, pickle ball courts and beach-style entry pool is slated to open in November. The community has an emphasis on parks and walkability, with open space every 1,000 feet and a 1.1mile linear park around the lake that’s good for jogging, Manrique said. Some of the houses face a park.
The sidewalks are wide enough to accommodate runners, bicycles and parents pushing strollers. The design encourages walking and neighborliness, Manrique said. The pocket parks have shade sails and even doggie water fountains, he said.
“It’s all about outdoor green spaces, open space, that people can congregate,” Manrique said.