The pastoral Palm Beach County town of Wellington is growing by 446 acres in a move that handed the Kolter Group a victory.
The village council approved the annexation of Artistry Lakes, a 446-acre agricultural area at 18551 Southern Boulevard, along with zoning that allows a Kolter affiliate to build 579 single-family homes.
The property’s previous zoning, approved by Palm Beach County in 2024, allowed only 534 residential units, consisting of 480 single-family homes and 54 townhouses. The new zoning also dropped the requirement to build 47,000 square feet of office and retail on site.
Three proposals had been filed earlier this year for the annexed area, to build a pair of Live Local Act projects, each with 106 residential units, and a townhouse project with 206 units.
Palm Beach County filed an objection to the annexation in January, arguing that Artistry Lakes is separated from the village by Southern Boulevard and a canal. The land immediately south of Artistry Lakes within Wellington consists of thousands of acres of undeveloped land owned by the South Florida Water Management District.
Kolter Group bought the land last year for $75 million, or about $168,000 per acre.
Led by CEO Bobby Julien, Kolter affiliate Kolter Urban closed $425.3 million in condo sales at its Selene Oceanfront Residences in Fort Lauderdale, which opened in January.Artistry Lakes is just east of Arden, a 1,210-acre master planned community that’s zoned for 2,300 single-family homes. It’s 3 miles south of Lion Country Safari, a 254-acre theme park acquired by billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison for $30 million last year.
Wellington annexed 258 acres of rural land at Southern Boulevard and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road about a mile away, which the county also opposed, but it was approved by voter referendum. No referendum was required in this case because no one lives on the land.
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South Florida
Wellington moves to annex Kolter Group’s farmland despite county objections