First Office, Industrial Real Estate Development Planned For Westlake

Minto Communities has closed on the sale of a 17.5-acre tract in Westlake for the city’s first office/industrial real estate project, the Westlake Commerce Center.

A partnership between Ft. Lauderdale-based Mitchell Property Realty, Inc. and Atlanta-based Ridgeline Property Group acquired the property and plan on developing a 227,000-square-foot spec office, warehouse, distribution facility located inside Westlake Landings, a 50-acre master-planned business park located off Seminole Pratt Whitney Rd.

“As a city like Westlake matures, it needs business and employment centers such as this to serve the influx of new residents moving into the area,” said John Carter, Minto Communities USA Senior Vice President. “At the same time, we anticipate the new project will create hundreds of new jobs in the area helping to stimulate the local economy.”

The tilt-wall-constructed facility will feature office space, 32-foot clear height ceilings and a truck court.  It can be configured for one large single-user or multiple tenants leasing a minimum of 10,000 square feet of space.

“With the population exploding in Westlake and surrounding communities, I think we will be attractive to any company seeking a regional distribution or last-mile facility,” said Ed Mitchell, principal of Mitchell Property Realty.  “As hot as the industrial market is at the moment, we’re confident we’ll have a tenant in place soon.”

Mitchell said the partnership hopes to break ground in September or October of 2022, once building permits are issued, with a completion date estimated in the second quarter of 2023.

The Westlake Commerce Center is part of a broader construction boom taking place in Westlake which is being developed by Minto Communities. Construction is underway on a self-storage facility, a Publix shopping center, and a Christ Fellowship Church 800-seat worship center.

Konover South will soon start building the Shoppes of Westlake which will feature two open-air shopping centers and a pod of quick-service restaurants.  A corporate-owned 7-Eleven store featuring South Florida’s first Laredo Taco restaurant is set to open to the public later this month. It is located on Seminole Pratt Whitney Rd. directly across the street from another new 7-Eleven store owned and operated by a franchisee.

In February 2022, the Palm Beach County Tax Collector opened a state-of-the-art service center in Westlake where residents can apply for hunting and fishing licenses, secure a driver’s license, or register a boat or automobile, along with many other services.

The 3,800-acre Westlake community is approved for over two-million square feet of commercial development and 4,500 homes. On the residential side, Minto is currently selling in the single-family neighborhood of The Orchards of Westlake and the estate home neighborhood called The Estates of Westlake.  Minto will launch sales this summer for its first townhome community, The Crossings of Westlake, along with unveiling four designer model homes.

Minto is also building phase two of the $22 million Westlake Adventure Park which will add basketball courts, an adults-only lap pool, a multi-purpose building for events and a lawn area for outdoor gatherings.

Westlake is located at 16610 Town Center Parkway North in the City of Westlake, on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road between Southern Blvd. and Northlake Blvd.