A new community that is gearing up for development is slated to bring thousands of homes to one of Florida’s most intensely growing counties.
Fort Lauderdale-based BTI Partners is preparing to begin construction on ViaTerra, a master-planned community in Lake Wales, between Tampa and Orlando and roughly 25 miles southeast of Lakeland.
At full buildout, ViaTerra will include 3,150 residences in a mix of single-family houses, townhouses and apartments, as well as retail and office space. Preparation of the first 100 homesites is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026.
Justin Onorato, BTI chief investment officer, said prices are expected to start in the $400,000s.
Onorato would not disclose what homebuilders will be involved in the project, but said one was already under contract.
In addition to trails and greenspace, ViaTerra is developing a human-made spring to serve as the “grand amenity” for the community, according to Onorato.
“It will look and feel, as best we can, like Rainbow Springs or any of those,” Onorato told Homes.com, adding that the goal was for it to be "natural-looking.” He said construction will also begin next year.
Established in 1911, the city of Lake Wales is approximately 60 miles from both Orlando and Tampa. Onorato predicted that ViaTerra will benefit from a “mushroom effect” of developments spreading out from the larger metropolitan areas.
Lake Wales is also the home of Bok Tower Gardens by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., son of the famed designer of New York’s Central Park and Boston's Emerald Necklace. The gardens sit atop Iron Mountain, which, at 295 feet above sea level, is one of the highest points in the state.
Onorato said residents of ViaTerra will be less than five miles from Bok Tower. “That’s a unique experience you don’t see in any other part in the state,” he said. He also noted the nearby attractions of Legoland in Winter Haven and Disney World and other theme parks in Orlando.
County attracts new construction
BTI bought the approximately 1,841 acres in Central Florida’s Polk County in 2021 for $43.75 million, according to county property appraiser records.
Onorato said the land is part of 20,000 acres the company purchased throughout Florida in the last seven years.
“We have tried our best to acquire sites across the state,” Onorato told Homes.com. “As markets like Tampa, Orlando and Miami and the bigger [cities] become more expensive, places like Lake Wales and those more affordable locations become more attractive to those already living in the state.”
The median home price in Polk County was $314,990 in October, down 0.6% year over year, according to Homes.com. The county has been a popular destination for homebuyers and developers in recent years. It saw the highest in-migration growth of any county in the U.S. in 2023, adding an estimated 26,029 people, according to the Census Bureau.
“Polk County has been among the top counties in the state for population growth over the past five years,” said Michelle Rumore, director of data analytics for Homes.com. “As the population has grown, the need for housing development has intensified, with single and multifamily developers flocking to the region. What's really taking off in Polk County are mixed-use master planned communities of scale, providing residents with more direct access to schools, retail, commercial and park spaces within a short distance."