New Florida Development Features 170-Acre Community Farm

Southeast Florida may be all about the beaches, but for one new development, it’s all about nature preservation and sustainable farming.

Newfield, a new masterplanned community in Palm City, FL, 40 miles north of West Palm Beach, will consist of nine villages spanning 3,411 acres, with 2,000 acres reserved for a nature preserve, and another 170 acres for a sustainable farm.

“Martin County has been resistant to growth for 40 to 50 years, so this idea made it palatable to them,” Dan Grosswald, president of developer Mattamy Homes’ Southeast Florida Division, tells Realtor.com. “Agriculture is a legacy in Martin County.”

Purchased by the developer in 2022, the land—zoned for five-acre agricultural “ranchettes”—was originally owned by the Kiplinger publishing family. Grosswald credits current patriarch Knight Kiplinger with the focus on open space, nature, and farming that would enable the development to gain the support of the locals.

Grosswald wouldn’t reveal the final cost of the land, two-thirds of which is being preserved under the Kiplinger Conservancy, much of it to remain “untouched,” says Grosswald. However, other spaces were “activated,”—or made more usable for Newfield residents as well as locals.

“We could have just put a gate up and let people walk through there,” says Grosswald. “But we put in a lot of time and money even before the houses were built.”

Miles of trails were made more walkable, a boardwalk was put over wetlands, an overlook was created, and a lake, pavilion, and picnic area were put in.

Some paving of paradise did happen, with a couple of parking lots added, and there are future plans for a bike trail system. The preserve is also the location of various social activities, including special events for school kids to walk the trails with baby goats.

The preserve, now the second-largest public park in Martin County, is also home to Martin County’s first gopher tortoise preserve and sanctuary.

“We wanted to create a lot of engagement with the preserve,” says Grosswald. He credits family-owned Mattamy Homes’ Canadian founder Peter Gilgan with the firm’s overriding philosophy: “Not just building homes but leaving the community better.”

Mattamy Homes has seven developments in Florida, but Newfield is a special blend of nature, farming, and Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) urban planning principles. Grosswald says this has made the development the hottest selling masterplanned community the firm has in the state.

In the United States, the company has a presence in 15 markets, including cities in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas.

The farm at Newfield

Phase one of Newfield has been completed. This includes the community’s first neighborhood, Rosette Park, with 560 homes, of which 240 are sold (eventually the development will have approximately 4,200 homes).

Then there is the 170-acre Newfield Farm, which will not only allow residents to grow their own produce, but is managed by sustainable agricultural firm Agmenity.

“They don’t use any pesticides or plastics,” says Grosswald. Residents pay about $15 a month for a raised bed or a 20 foot by 20 foot plot in which they can grow vegetables, fruits, or flowers. Grosswald says the raised beds are far more popular—they currently have a waitlist—so the number of beds will be increased, the number of plots decreased.

As to whether a resident could request, say, half an acre, Grosswald says, “We haven’t had that yet. Florida in the summer is 95 degrees at 5 a.m., so I don’t think too many people are going to want that much work.”

A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) building called The Harvest House is the farm hub—here residents and locals can buy farm-fresh produce, including honey from the development’s bee apiary, or local artisanal goods.

There’s a once a month farmers’ market, as well as Friday night jams, where local music groups play in the bandshell.

Asked if the farm is an amenity attracting buyers, Grosswald says, “The farm is visually attractive. And we have a showcase garden that is highly curated. I think when people come, they fall in love with how it looks and the idea of it.

“But most people want to live there because they see this healthy lifestyle we’ve created, and the way we’re protecting the environment, and the way we take care of the land.”

Beyond farming

Beyond the focus on farming and nature, the TND aspect of the development takes design principles from the 1920s, and the way towns naturally evolved before the car got involved and urban sprawl became the norm.

To that end, there is a downtown area being built to accommodate 50,000-square-feet of retail and commercial businesses. Six leases are being finalized, including a brewery and an Italian restaurant.

“Eventually, everything you need is there, and you can walk or ride your bike to it,” he says.

Homes start around $400,000 for a townhouse, and thus far the most expensive home built has been a $1.7 million 4,000-square-foot house with a pool. The lowest price point is well under the median list price for Palm City, which is $645,000, according to Realtor.com data.

Grosswald says demand has been more intense for larger, more expensive homes, so the plan is to increase their number in the second phase of development—but there are also ideas for more affordable future options, including a potential “mansion” with six units that will each come in under $400,000.

“We want to bring some more affordability to the neighborhood,” he says, noting that the pricier homes are not separated from the more affordable ones, with the development designed so the empty nesters, singles, and young families all intermingle and feel part of the same community.

“In this community, people are connected with each other,” he says. “There are all these pocket parks and front porches. If you’re not the kind of person who likes other people, you’re probably not going to like it there.”

“We don’t have that active-adult cruise-ship-on-the-ground gated community,” he adds. “There is no gate. I think people don’t want to be segregated by the stage of life they are in.”

While the properties don’t have large yards, each home is within walking distance of green space or a pocket park, some with grills and fire pits.

And for those who love the Sunshine State for its glorious beaches and Intracoastal waters? Newfield has that as well. Beaches such as Jensen and the popular Bathtub Beach are only 20 minutes away, and there’s plenty of boating and marinas on the nearby St. Lucie River.

“It’s such a unique community,” says Grosswald. “It’s this holistic, healthy, mixed-use TND with a farm. There is nothing else like it. I know everybody says that, but this combination of elements, you’re not going to find it anywhere else.”