With the escalation in housing prices in Southeast Florida, it was expected that people from Miami to Palm Beach would swarm Newfield, a 4,200-home new development in Palm City in Martin County. Growth-hostile Martin rarely sees new housing available on such a scale. It's also one county closer than St. Lucie, the destination for decades for people priced out of Palm Beach County.
Yet, the buyer burst out the gate at Newfield has been locals, says James Fitzgerald, vice president of community development for homebuilder Mattamy's Southeast Florida division, the builder at Newfield. The largest buyer cohort comes from within a five-mile radius of the development. "It's a little bit different than we expected," Fitzgerald says. "There's so much pent-up demand in Martin County and the Treasure Coast area."
As of March, Mattamy had sold 155 homes at Newfield. At that moment, it was averaging 10 sales a month. The project is in traditional neighborhood style with an agrihood twist. There are porches galore, garages in the rear reached by alleys, and homey touches such as swinging benches at the community mailboxes. The premier amenity at the development is a farm and the 2,400-acre Kiplinger Conservancy lands, including miles of KC Trails, preserved for residents as part of the development approval.
Fitzgerald says Mattamy aimed to offer a wide range of price points and housing types with a philosophy that whatever housing need one has, Newfield "will meet you where you are." Prices for townhouses, "twin villas" and single-family run from the mid-$400,000s to $1.4 million. Mattamy is redesigning some of the townhouse product for the first-time buyer market.
Overall, sales have been slower than anticipated, but the average price "quite a bit higher" than expected, Fitzgerald says.
This year, Mattamy built Newfield's first clubhouse, along with pools, pickleball courts, a fitness center and yoga lawn. The first two of the mixed-use town center buildings also goes up this year.
Elsewhere on the Treasure Coast: GL Homes' Riverland in Port St. Lucie came in 25th on John Burns Research and Consulting's ranking of the 25 top-selling master-planned developments with 475 sales in 2025. Home prices start in the $340,000s, rising into the $800,000-plus range.
Minto Communities USA launched the newest phase of Westlake in Palm Beach County, The Oaks at Westlake, with single-family houses in the mid-$400,000s. Minto has sold half the 2.2 million square feet approved for commercial development in Westlake with Walmart and Lowe's the latest major brands to plan stores there. Minto says a total of approximately 4,000 residences have been sold at Westlake. Prices start in the $300,000s.
— By Mike Vogel