The village of Wellington is moving ahead with plans to annex nearly 450 acres of farmland owned by the Kolter Group, despite formal objections from Palm Beach County officials.
On Monday, Wellington’s Village Council unanimously passed the first reading of an ordinance to annex Artistry Lakes, a property located at 18551 State Road 80 on Southern Boulevard. The land is owned by Kolter’s subsidiary, KH Artistry Lakes LLC, which assembled the 446-acre parcel for about $75 million. Kolter holds rights to build 534 residential units on the site.
According to Tim Stillings, Wellington’s director of Planning, Zoning and Building, Palm Beach County has already approved zoning for the development of 480 single-family homes and 54 workforce townhomes on the property. Plans also include space for commercial office and retail use totaling 47,000 square feet.
Artistry Lakes is situated just north of Wellington and west of Arden—a large master planned community that allows for approximately 2,300 single-family homes built by companies such as Lennar and GL Homes.
A second reading on the annexation is expected to take place on March 10. Because there are no residents currently living on the property, a referendum will not be required. Although the process is listed as “involuntary” in village documents, Kolter vice president Brian Grove wrote in a letter that “the developer so far has no objections to the annexation.”
Palm Beach County filed an objection Monday. The county argued that Artistry Lakes remains undeveloped and separated from Wellington by both Southern Boulevard and a canal. Additionally, land immediately south of Artistry Lakes within Wellington consists largely of thousands of acres owned by the South Florida Water Management District, according to county planning director Thuy Shutt.
Stillings responded that state law is satisfied because “60 percent of Artistry Lakes’ borders are adjacent to single-family subdivisions.”
Previously, county officials objected when Wellington sought to annex another nearby rural parcel—258 acres at Southern Boulevard and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road—but after a referendum last year that area was incorporated into Wellington and rezoned for new development.
There are currently three proposals under consideration for construction in this newly annexed area: two Live Local Act projects each proposing 106 residential units and a townhouse project with 206 units.
Kolter continues its activity in South Florida real estate markets. Under CEO Bobby Julien’s leadership, Kolter Urban recently closed $425.3 million in condominium sales at Selene Oceanfront Residences in Fort Lauderdale. In partnership with Perko Development Partners, Kolter has also begun sales for Maison d’Or—a planned 19-story condo tower in West Palm Beach.
Wellington itself has seen increased interest from developers beyond Kolter. Steve Ross plans to build a private school alongside 500 residential units and a hotel with 180 rooms; meanwhile developer Mark Bellissimo received approval for zoning changes needed for Marketplace at the Wellington—a proposed mixed-use project featuring hotel rooms, condominiums, commercial space and offices.
