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. The Wellington Village Council gave unanimous first approval to an ordinance that would annex the land known as Artistry Lakes, located at 18551 State Road 80 on Southern Boulevard.
Kolter’s subsidiary, KH Artistry Lakes LLC, purchased the 446-acre site for approximately $75 million and holds rights to develop up to 534 residential units. According to Tim Stillings, Wellington’s director of Planning, Zoning and Building, county zoning already allows for 480 single-family homes and 54 workforce townhomes on the property. The area is also zoned for commercial use, including 23,500 square feet each for office and retail space.
Artistry Lakes sits just north of Wellington and west of Arden, a large master-planned community where several homebuilders are active. A second reading and potential final vote on the annexation is scheduled for March 10. Since no residents live on the property, a referendum is not required.
Although the annexation is described as “involuntary” in official documents, Kolter vice president Brian Grove stated in a letter that “the developer so far has no objections to the annexation.”
Palm Beach County filed its objection Monday, arguing that Artistry Lakes remains undeveloped and is separated from Wellington by Southern Boulevard and a canal. Thuy Shutt, planning director for Palm Beach County, noted that thousands of acres directly south of Artistry Lakes within Wellington are still undeveloped and owned by the South Florida Water Management District.
Stillings responded that “60 percent of Artistry Lakes’ borders are adjacent to single-family subdivisions,” which he said meets state legal requirements.
This dispute follows previous county opposition to Wellington’s annexation of another rural tract nearby. Despite those concerns, that parcel was added to Wellington last year after a referendum and subsequently rezoned for development.
There are currently three proposals for new projects in this newly annexed area: two Live Local Act developments with 106 residential units each and a townhouse project with 206 units.
Kolter Group has been active elsewhere in South Florida real estate markets. Under CEO Bobby Julien, its affiliate Kolter Urban recently closed over $425 million in condominium sales at Selene Oceanfront Residences in Fort Lauderdale. In addition, Kolter has partnered with Perko Development Partners to launch sales at Maison d’Or in West Palm Beach.
Wellington continues to attract developer interest beyond Kolter’s activities. Steve Ross intends to build a private school along with residential units and a hotel; meanwhile, Mark Bellissimo recently secured zoning changes needed for Marketplace at the Wellington—a mixed-use project featuring hotel rooms, condominiums, and commercial space.
