Palm Beach Diocese selling chunk of land near its Wellington church to Pulte Homes

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read

A Wellington church off Lake Worth Road will soon have new neighbors — a 42-unit high-end Pulte Homes development.

The Diocese of Palm Beach County has agreed to sell to the homebuilder a parcel of land just south of the St. Therese De Lisieux church at 11800 Lake Worth Road. The diocese would be giving up 22.5 acres of the 39 acres it owns. It would retain the rest of the parcel for church operations. The church is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Lake Worth Road and 120th Ave S.

This month, The Palm Beach Post reported that the local Elks Lodge in West Palm Beach agreed to sell part of its land to a developer in exchange for the developer building it a new lodge. The agent for that transaction, Josh Nichols, said that because of the scarcity of land in Palm Beach County, developers are partnering with non-profits to build on excess land they own. He said he expects to see more of these transactions.

View of St. Therese De Lisieux church at 11800 Lake Worth Road on February 22, 2024, in Wellington. The church is selling 22 of 39 acres to a developer.
View of St. Therese De Lisieux church at 11800 Lake Worth Road on February 22, 2024, in Wellington. The church is selling 22 of 39 acres to a developer.

Pulte spokesman Andrew Maxey said the homebuilder will simply be purchasing land from the diocese to build its development. The church, built in 2010, serves the communities of Wellington, and the area west of Lake Worth Beach.

MORE: Wellington OKs two luxury-home communities in equestrian preserve

Pulte is currently seeking approvals of its plans from Wellington. The developer wants to change the land use from “community facilities" to “residential.” It expects to close on the transaction with the diocese by the end of the year and begin to offer homes for sale about a year later.

View of religious signage at St. Therese De Lisieux church at 11800 Lake Worth Road on February 22, 2024, in Wellington. The church is selling 22 of 39 acres to a developer.
View of religious signage at St. Therese De Lisieux church at 11800 Lake Worth Road on February 22, 2024, in Wellington. The church is selling 22 of 39 acres to a developer.

The requests, according to Pulte, will enhance Wellington’s established neighborhood characteristics while supporting housing reinvestment. The single-family residential uses will be compatible with the surrounding area as the land contiguous to the east and south is the Isles of Wellington residential community, according to Pulte's application.

How much is the diocese receiving from the developer for the land?

The contract price has not been disclosed but the 22.5 acres has a land value of about $3.2 million, according to the county Property Appraiser. Sales prices are often well more than appraised values.

Rendering of high-end single family homes to be built just to the south of a church in Wellington.
Rendering of high-end single family homes to be built just to the south of a church in Wellington.

Plans call for a gated community with a three-acre lake and a half-acre recreation area with a pool, clubhouse and playground. Each home would have a two-car garage. The 42 estate lots will be more than 2,800 square feet. The lot-size widths will be between 69 and 79 feet. Pulte said it chose the site because of its access to Florida's Turnpike and the excellent schools in Wellington.

Homes are expected to sell for around $1.5 million.

Want more Wellington news?

Sign up for our Post on Wellington weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday!

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Diocese to sell land near Wellington church to Pulte Homes