When Maryse Desir and her daughter Mitsha Woodson recently signed a contract for a new home in Westlake, little did they know exactly how special that moment was. They became the 2,000th family to buy in the popular master-planned community.
“I have had my eye on this area since the early 2000s, and when I was introduced to Westlake by some friends after the pandemic, I fell in love instantly,” Desir said. “I was totally delighted with the homes and lifestyle and knew I had to be here. I could see myself retiring in Westlake.”
Desir, her daughter and three teenage grandchildren currently live in central Broward County, where the women both work as public school teachers. They were able to take advantage of Minto’s “Welcome Heroes” program, which gives public servants a 3 percent discount off the base price of a new home. The family purchased the four-bedroom, 3.5-bath Sycamore Grand floorplan in Westlake’s newest neighborhood, the Pines. When they move sometime in 2024, they plan on keeping their jobs and commuting to their schools in Broward County.
“You can’t find anything like Westlake in Broward County,” Woodson said. “With affordably priced new home construction and tons of amazing amenities for families to enjoy, it will be worth the drive.”
Minto has seen a steady stream of buyers from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties since opening Westlake for sales in October 2017.
Since then, Minto has developed eight residential neighborhoods with single-family homes, estate homes and townhomes. Prices currently start in the $400s.
In 2023, Minto completed construction on a $22 million amenities complex. The Westlake Adventure Park features a resort-style lagoon pool with a tower slide, splash pad and poolside concessions; a separate adult lap pool; a multipurpose building with adjoining event lawn; a covered concert pavilion, food truck court and picnic areas; as well as a BMX pump park, bocce ball courts, playground, dog park, and full-length, lighted basketball courts.
Westlake is approved for 4,500 homes and 2.2 million square feet of commercial development. A new Publix grocery store and adjoining retail bays opened in the summer, while two retail centers are set to open in 2024, bringing more restaurants and retail stores to the area. A free-standing emergency room, the Palm Beach County Tax Collector’s Office, a county fire-rescue station, two 7-Eleven convenience stores and Christ Fellowship Church were all built over the past six years. A personal storage facility and warehouse with flex office space are currently under construction.
“As we celebrate our 2,000th home sale in Westlake, it’s hard not to reflect and see how far we have come since our first home was sold six years ago,” said Mike Belmont, president of Minto Communities USA. “The vision is coming together, and it’s happening at a pace quicker than we had expected. I think that is because we offer the best value in new home construction and a lifestyle that no one else is offering in Palm Beach County.”
Westlake has repeatedly made the list of Top 50 Master-Planned Communities in the United States as compiled each year by John Burns Real Estate Consulting, placing 21 on the list in 2022. Also, for the past few years, Westlake led all other municipalities in Palm Beach County for new single-family home permits.
The Westlake sales center is located at 16610 Town Center Parkway North in the City of Westlake.
For more information about the community, call (888) 299-3628 or visit www.westlakefl.com.
