Charlotte County community expanding with 400 new homes, Publix

Brookfield Kolter Land Partners has started work on a major expansion of the West Port master-planned community in Charlotte County that could bring as many as 423 new houses, along with a new commercial center and infrastructure improvements.

The firm, in a statement, says the multiphase project will expand the Port Charlotte community by 180 acres to the east.

The commercial center will front State Route 776 and will be anchored by a Publix set to open late next year. The adjacent land will be available for restaurants, retail, a gym and mixed-use space.

As for the residences, the first new neighborhood is open with single-family houses starting in the mid-$200,000s already for sale. The houses in Driftwood Bay, the neighborhood, are from homebuilder D.R. Horton.

Lennar will have a selection of new houses starting next year, Brookfield Kolter says.

In addition to the retail and residential portions of the project, the developer says the work will include the completion of Flamingo Boulevard, the expansion’s primary thoroughfare, connecting U.S. Highway 41 to State Route 776.

The expanded roadway grid will also connect and expand the community’s pedestrian sidewalk and trail system.

The new thoroughfare, set to open later this year, will initially have two lanes. A full four-lane expansion and central median will follow, says Brookfield Kolter.

According to the statement, the first phase of West Port brought more than 1,200 residences to the community along Centennial Boulevard between U.S. 41 and State Road 776.

Brookfield Kolter Land Partners is a partnership between Delray Beach-developer The Kolter Group and an affiliate of Brookfield Residential.

The partnership works on land investments and the development of finished lots for sale, typically to homebuilders. Its focus, according to the statement, is on projects with 250 to 1,000 lots and to deliver an “affordable product” with amenities and proximity to employment centers.

It currently has projects in the works in three states. Its online portfolio shows several projects along the Gulf Coast including in Sarasota, Wesley Chapel, Parrish, Punta Gorda and Polk County.