Transaction marks the start of a “retail rush” in Palm Beach County’s newest city
Minto Communities, the master developer of award-winning Westlake, has sold a 20-acre parcel to Publix for a new retail center and grocery store. The transaction closed July 16. Terms were not disclosed.
The Lakeland-based grocer received city approval to develop a 140,000-square-foot open-air plaza. Phase 1 of the development will include eight retail bays anchored by a 50,000-square-foot Publix grocery and liquor store. Publix was also approved to develop an additional 70,000 square feet of retail space on the property, which is expected to be built later in Phase 2.
Publix at Westlake Plaza will be located on the west side of Seminole-Pratt Whitney Road between Town Center Parkway and Persimmon Boulevard.
“We are pleased to bring the first grocery store and retail center to Westlake to serve our fast-growing population,” said John Carter, Minto vice president. “You know you’ve arrived when Publix comes to town, and we couldn’t be any happier. Soon, our residents will be able to enjoy the convenience of shopping for their essentials right around the corner from their homes.”
This transaction marks the start of a “retail rush” in the 3,800-acre Westlake that is approved for 4,500 homes and over 2-million square-feet of non-residential development.
Adjacent to the new Publix is a 50-acre business park Minto created called Westlake Landings. Konover South is under contract to acquire 7 acres to develop a pod of quick-service restaurants and two multi-tenant, open-air shopping centers—one 7,000 square feet and the other 9,450 square feet. Collectively, the site will be known as The Shoppes of Westlake Landings. It will be adjacent to a 7-11 convenience store and gas station currently under construction within the business park.
Minto is also under contract with a local developer to buy 5.75 acres within Westlake Landings to build a 107,290-square-foot self-storage facility, and is talking with others to develop a flex office/warehouse space on 18 acres. An investment group is eyeing the final piece of land in Westlake Landings for an entertainment/sports concept.
“We created this mixed-use business park to proactively plan for our commercial development activities in Westlake,” said Carter. “Westlake Landings allows us to be more intentional in our approach and curate the right types of businesses to service our residents.”
Other non-residential development in the city includes a second 7-11 store and gas station that is under construction across the street from Westlake Landings, on the east side of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. The Constitutional Tax Collector’s Office for Palm Beach County is currently building a regional service center that is planned to open later this year and located near the Palm Beach County fire station that opened in January 2020. Two years ago, Wellington Regional Medical Center opened a freestanding emergency room and subsequently acquired 35 more acres from Minto to develop a future medical campus. In addition, Christ Fellowship Church is preparing to break ground on an 800-seat worship center located in the heart of Westlake and recently submitted their building permit application to mark the start of vertical construction activity.
Minto will soon open its fourth Westlake neighborhood, an exclusive luxury-home enclave of 76 homesites known as The Estates of Westlake. Prices will range between the $500s and $800s. The sales launch will coincide with completion of a model home now under construction. Also, this summer, construction will start on the second phase of the Westlake Adventure Park, which will include basketball courts, an adult lap pool and a multi-purpose building.
Westlake is located at 16610 Town Center Parkway North in the City of Westlake, on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road between Southern Boulevard and Northlake Boulevard. For more information on the community, call 888-299-3628 or visit www.WestlakeFL.com.
About Minto Communities USA:
Minto Communities USA, based in Florida since 1978, has represented integrity, financial strength and enduring value for over 40 years. Minto builds exceptional new homes and communities to meet every lifestyle, with more than 29,000 new homes built in 48 communities. Minto is dedicated to continuous improvement in design, quality and customer experience. These are just some of the elements that set Minto apart as an exceptional homebuilder and community developer and have earned the company national recognition that includes consistently high rankings from Eliant Customer Service Surveys. Minto has been recognized with multiple national awards from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for community and home design, including Best Single-Family Community Over 100 Homes and Best Sales Center for Westlake in the City of Westlake; Best Mixed-Use Community and Best Clubhouse for The Isles of Collier Preserve in Naples, Florida; Best Clubhouse for the Harbour Isle Beach Club in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida. Minto has also earned multiple Aurora Awards from the Southeast Building Conference for Westlake, including the 2018 Silver Award for Best Single-Family Residential Community.
