Townhouse Boom Grows as Land, Costs Rise
Townhouse construction is rising across Florida as land grows scarce and costs climb, with builders favoring townhomes for affordability and higher-density housing.
MIAMI – A 650-home community of townhouses is planned for Lauderhill on a retired golf course, and South Florida could see more townhouse development as land becomes more scarce and costs continue to rise, experts say.
“Where it can be zoned, it can be built,” the National Association of Home Builders declared in a prepared statement, announcing that a recent study shows townhouse construction expanded 10% during 2024, outpacing the rest of the single-family home building market across the country.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, 174,000 homes were built last year, which is higher than the prior four-quarter period (158,000 in 2023).
In Broward County, 46% of all single-family homes added for 2024 as new construction were townhomes, said Abbey Roberson, spokesperson for the Broward County Property Appraiser. That translates to 699 townhomes compared to 809 single-family homes last year, she said.
That was slightly less than 2023; 47% of all single-family homes added for 2023 as new construction were townhomes.
But housing experts say that could change.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, “the long-run prospects for townhouse construction are positive given growing numbers of homebuyers looking for medium-density residential neighborhoods, such as urban villages that offer walkable environments and other amenities.”
Brent Baker, the southeast Florida division president for PulteGroup, said buyers often prefer townhouses because there is less maintenance, and the price of a new townhouses is often comparable “to a 40-year-old resale, which might need a new roof.”
“As land becomes more scarce and the counties become more built out, smaller parcels left (are) more suitable for townhouse development or apartments,” Baker said. He said it’s also more affordable for builders.
In the last couple years his company has opened a flurry of new townhomes, such as Emory in Plantation, 86 units, where the last units were sold in 2024. The average home sold for the high $500,000s to mid-$600,000s.
There was the 410-home community Oak Tree in Oakland Park, where about 100 of the homes are townhomes. And Casia Commons, 40 townhomes in Lauderdale Lakes.
He predicts it will become “more the norm in Broward because of land supply and trying to hit affordability price points.”
And more is underway, including Everton in Lake Worth Beach, a 210-home townhouse development under construction with sales starting this summer.
“We’re trying to hit price points (in the) high 400s to low 500s. If you are building single-family homes, you can’t touch that price point,” Baker said.
In the process for city approvals in Pompano Beach are 184 townhomes off Atlantic Boulevard.
And the company plans to redevelop the Inverrary Golf Course in Lauderhill, which has been closed since 2020. From 1972-80, the late comedian Jackie Gleason hosted a golf tournament at the Inverrary Country Club and Golf Course known as the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic. Former presidents Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon played on the course.
The two golf courses will be redeveloped into one course, a clubhouse, and a “significant number of new townhomes,” Baker said, with 800 new homes; of those, an estimated 650 will be townhomes.
Cities report other projects in the works too: Davie has the 51-townhouse community Vineyards on Griffin Road, and Pompano Beach reports seven projects under construction including Highland Oaks with 138 units on Northwest Third Avenue and 52 units at Sports Residences on Northwest 31st Avenue. Fort Lauderdale officials said Friday there are 150 townhomes currently under construction in that city.
Richard Khemraj is a Realtor who specializes in Tamarac, Sunrise and Coral Springs. He said the newer townhomes are being built larger than previous models, and it’s about affordability for the buyers.
“We are seeing a lot of of interest in townhomes, (because it’s) more affordable price ranges in today’s market for first-time homebuyers,” he said. With single-family homes often in the $500,000s to $700,000s, they are “out of reach for a lot of buyers with the interest rates in today’s market.”
Jonathan Lickstein, president of Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors, said townhomes are more cost-effective for both the buyers and the builders, “absolutely.”
“With the cost of properties increasing so much since the pandemic, it’s more cost-effective for a first-time homebuyer to enter into the marketplace,” he said.
“I think it’s going to continue,” he said of the trend. When buyers are mindful of the cost and want a certain area, a “townhome is a necessary conversation” with Realtors®.
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