LIFE IS SWEET

The 850 acres comprising Hamlin, the vibrant heart of the 3,700-acre Horizon West Town Center, was a verdant, lake-dotted blank slate on which developer T. Scott Boyd could create a regional destination that would rival, for example, Winter Park. 

And he’s doing just that. Hamlin is rapidly morphing from an expanse of old groves — tangy Hamlin oranges were once grown there — into what will soon become a lively shopping and entertainment mecca. Not surprisingly, the homes within Hamlin are selling as quickly as they can be built.

Boyd and his team at Boyd Development Corp. are focused on making Hamlin an inviting and enjoyable place, where residents will enjoy proximity to every imaginable amenity. Plus, they say, it’ll be a place where Central Floridians, regardless of where they live, will be eager to visit.

How about a movie in a state-of-the-art cineplex, followed by a late-night dinner at a gourmet restaurant? Or window-shopping along a lively, tree-lined street bordered by intriguing boutiques?

Or a leisurely stroll along a scenic boardwalk that hugs the shores of a pristine lake? Or a bracing jaunt through a series of beautifully landscaped parks linked by a pedestrian trail network?

Then, when it’s time to call it a night, perhaps home is just minutes away in a brand-new lakefront neighborhood, where the top builders in the U.S. have pulled out all the stops with eye-popping designs and state-of-the-art technology.

Valued at $1 billion, Hamlin was kick-started in 2014 when the New Independence Parkway interchange was opened off State Road 429. New Independence Parkway was extended east for nearly a mile to Schoolhouse Pond Road, which leads to the community of Independence. 

A four-lane road, Hamlin Grove Trail, was built parallel to State Road 429, and runs south from New Independence Parkway to Summerlake Park Boulevard, which leads to the community of Summerlake. Once the roads were in place, the pace quickened.

Boyd Development funded most of the $19 million in road, utility and landscape improvements. Not only was accessibility to State Road 429 improved, which was good for residents, but some valuable commercial parcels were created.

Well underway in the 64-acre northwest quadrant of the interchange is a 400,000-square-foot retail complex that includes a 193,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter, which is now open, as well as about a half-dozen “junior” anchors and outparcels with shops and restaurants.

A second retail complex, this one 200,000 square feet, is underway in the 66-acre southwest quadrant. It’s anchored by a 54,000-square-foot Publix supermarket, which recently opened.

A yet-unnamed “main street” originates on the Publix tract, in the southwest quadrant of the interchange, and runs east about a half-mile to Hamlin’s waterfront lifestyle center. The road, which was near completion at presstime, is walkable and allows people to safely stroll to the lifestyle center.

The southeast quadrant will encompass a 40,000-square-foot, dine-in cineplex boasting 10 screens and stadium seating. Operated by Dallas-based Cinépolis USA, the luxurious complex, set to open in the first quarter of 2018, will be unlike anything else in Central Florida. 

“Cinépolis Hamlin” will be the brand’s seventh luxury dine-in movie theater in the U.S. and only its second in Florida (the other is in Jupiter). It will feature fully reclining leather seats, waiter service, gourmet dining and a full bar.

“The Cinépolis USA announcement is very exciting and further reaffirms our vision that Hamlin will provide Central Florida residents with one-of-a-kind experiences in a unique waterfront setting,” said Boyd in a media release. 

Just beyond the theater, about a half-mile to the east, will be the jewel of Hamlin — a charming lifestyle center on 28 acres surrounding Lake Hancock.

There, visitors will enjoy an Old Florida ambience and plenty of inviting parks and public areas. There’ll also be events galore, such as music festivals and art shows.

The lifestyle center will be packed with retail and dining options as well as a boardwalk and a village marina so the area can be reached by boat. The boardwalk will link to a multiuse trail system — which will eventually be connected to the existing 22-mile West Orange Trail — and a lakefront park accessible by foot, bike or golf cart. 

East of the lifestyle center, an upscale 316-unit apartment complex called LakeWalk at Hamlin is underway and should open by early next year. The 316-unit complex will offer luxurious units with breathtaking views of Lake Hancock. 

Also near the lifestyle center is a new neighborhood of single-family homes, The Sanctuary at Hamlin, by Dream Finders Homes. The 40-acre enclave will encompass about 100 homes, with prices beginning in the low $300s.

Orlando Health, which owns about 80 acres along the south side of Porter Road, is building a two-story medical complex with a 16-bed emergency hospital on the first floor. A second floor will encompass an outpatient diagnostics department and physician offices. The opening date for the $45 million facility has been set for early 2018, according to an Orlando Health spokesperson.

The 70,000-square-foot emergency hospital will occupy a 37- acre tract of Orlando Health-owned property, and will include outpatient diagnostics, lab facilities, telemedicine technology, physician offices for primary care doctors and specialists, and a human performance and wellness center. Orlando Health will start building an accompanying 103-bed hospital tower next year.

In addition, a new proton therapy center will be developed and operated by a joint venture between Knoxville, Tennessee-based Provision Healthcare and Hamlin Retail Partners West, an affiliate of Boyd Development and Schrimsher Properties. Proton therapy is a type of radiation treatment that uses protons rather than X-rays to treat the disease.

The center will encompass three treatment rooms and use the latest proton systems technology of Provision Healthcare affiliate ProNova Solutions LLC. It’ll be able to treat an estimated 1,000 patients per year when it opens in 2019.

There are fewer than 25 proton therapy centers operating in the U.S., including one at the UF Health Cancer Center-Orlando Health campus near downtown. 

In addition, the Provision Healthcare-Hamlin Retail Partners West joint venture also plans to develop related medical office buildings and cancer-treatment facilities around the center.

“The Hamlin proton center will be a great addition to the medical community and a real benefit to the residents of Central Florida,” Boyd said in a press release. “We look forward to Provision bringing their state-of-the-art technology, along with their culture of care, to our Central Florida community.”

Elsewhere in Hamlin, Valencia College has 150 acres on Schofield Road and will likely build a branch campus, although specific plans hadn’t been announced at presstime. 

Clearly, there’s a lot going on. Helping to guide the design process is Shook Kelley of Charlotte, North Carolina, a diversified urban planning firm that specializes in “perfecting a process for convening people around a physical place, space, idea, forum and experience.”

Although Boyd Development isn’t building the homes in Hamlin, it’s particular about who does. That’s why it’s pleased with what Taylor Morrison has done in Overlook at Hamlin and The Cove at Hamlin.

Overlook at Hamlin encompasses 381 homesites, many of which are lakefront. All homes are within walking distance of the planned boardwalk and retail district. 

With floorplans ranging in size from 1,600 to more than 5,100 square feet, there’s certainly something for everyone. Amenities include a clubhouse, a family pool, a splash park, a playground, an amphitheater and even a multipurpose sports lawn. Prices range from the $270s to the $700s.

The Cove at Hamlin offers homes ranging in size from 3,700 to 4,900 square feet as well as urban cottages ranging in size from 1,700 to 2,200 square feet. The newer community, with 250 homesites, features such amenities as a clubhouse, a family pool, a splash park, a playground and several inviting pocket parks. Prices start in the $260s. 

Last year, Ashton Woods Homes bought 80 acres for Hamlin Reserve, which includes a combination of about 350 single-family homes and townhomes. There you’ll find townhomes priced from the $220s and single-family manor homes priced from the $450s.

Boyd has already spent millions on monument-style signage, four-board fencing and landscaping with primarily indigenous plants. The expenditure wasn’t yet necessary, says Boyd, whose joint venture bought the land for $30 million in 2011. But he wanted to make a statement about the quality of the development to come.

Clearly, Boyd views Hamlin as a legacy project. He notes that the land was bought in cash, from one seller — insurance giant AIG — so it isn’t burdened by debt. And as a private venture, there aren’t far-flung investors demanding an instant return.

“We have the ability to create a great plan and to execute it,” Boyd said in an interview with Florida Homebuyer Orlando. “We can do something that will stand the test of time.” Plus, he adds, Boyd Development intends to remain and manage the property once it’s built out, which should take five to seven years.

“It’s been quite active this year,” says Kevin Meredith, who heads up leasing for Boyd Development. “I would say it has exceeded our expectations.” 

Hamlin may be the first out of the gate in the Horizon West Town Center, but plenty more is coming. 

The area could potentially contain 6,400 homes, 5.7 million square feet of office space, 2.1 million square feet of retail space, 384,000 square feet of warehouse and light industrial space, and 1,200 hotel rooms with a conference center.

The Town Center will be divided into four distinct districts, each with a specific use:

• Retail and Wholesale District. Will include big-box retailers, restaurants and businesses of all varieties.
• Corporate Campus and Mixed-Use District. Will include a mix of offices and homes in campus-like and neighborhood settings.
• Corporate Neighborhood Center District. Will include neighborhood retailers, service businesses and civic facilities. 
• Traditional Town Center District. Will include retailers, cultural venues, educational facilities anchored by Valencia College and a waterfront park as well as some 1,140 homes.

Hamlin spans all the districts, except the designated Traditional Town Center. That’s slated for a non-Hamlin tract west of State Road 429 and north of Schofield Road. No details about what will go in the Traditional Town Center District have been announced.