PORT ST LUCIE, Fla. — Construction is underway on a more than 800-home community in Port St. Lucie, which includes a golf course designed by a famous golfer.
Tuesday, WPTV watched as crews continued installing an irrigation system to Glynlea, a country club community going up in between Midway and Glades Cut Off roads, west of Interstate 95.
Construction began this summer on the 560-acre plot of land.
The 862 homes included in the plan are comprised of 40 feet, 50 feet and 60 feet single-family lots and 35-foot lots for twin homes. The community also includes a country club with a fitness center, resort-style pool and golf pro shop.
Perhaps its biggest draw, however, is the community's 18-hole golf course designed by 17-time PGA Tour champion Jim Furyk, who also holds the record for the lowest score in PGA tour history.
"It's an honor to be the designer of this golf course and be a part of it, but really, we're a part of a special community," Furyk said. "What really drew me to the project is building something special here in Port St. Lucie.”
Austin Burr, Greenepointe developer's regional president for southeast Florida, said the course also includes an aqua golf driving range. Burr hopes the community will add more housing to Port St. Lucie.
Glynlea is part of a much larger planned community called Wylder, which includes 4,000 homes over 2,000 acres.
"Of that, we’re going to have an age-restricted community," Burr said, "we’re going to have conventional single family homes right up the road."
Burr said in addition to the 55+ community, called Four Seasons, and the single family home development, called Brystol, Wylder will eventually include townhomes and condos for purchase, as well as build-to-rent style homes and apartments for leasing.
"Homes are starting in the 300 [thousand]s, the townhomes will be in the affordable range," Burr said. "The apartments and single-family product will offer something for everyone."
At Florida Custom Golf, which offers both club repairs and complete set builds, owner Phil Prisby said he's thrilled to have the new community coming up 20 minutes from his shop.
"The more people coming here to play golf, the more people are going to come see me," Prisby said. "I love it, the more golfers the better."
Yet, Port St. Lucie resident Sally Daniel feared more development will only price her out of her home.
"Because I see a lot of growth down here," Daniel said, "and it's causing the cost of living to go up and people are being run out of town."
Daniel also feared the additional impacts that often come along with growth and development.
"More crime, more traffic, more pollution," Daniel said.
Burr addressed those concerns with WPTV, and told reporter Kate Hussey that Greenpointe developers plans to widen Midway and Glades Cutoff roads from I-95 to the community's entrance to help accommodate for the increase in traffic.
He also said 400 of Wylder's 4,000 acres will stay protected wetlands and green space, with 100 of those acres staying within Glynlea.
"They’re beautiful pieces of natural Florida that we don't want to lose," Burr said.
Burr also said he hopes to open up the community in part, which includes the golf course, in October of 2024, but said he expects the entire project to take about five years to complete.