Crews have cleared the fields and dirt is finally moving at The Grow, a planned 1,200-acre agrihood just east of the University of Central Florida. Billed as Orlando’s first large-scale farm-centered neighborhood, the master-planned community is set to pair a working farm with housing, retail and public parks.
Developers Pulte Homes and American Land Development are steering the project, which local reporting pegs at about $2 billion for a full buildout covering roughly 1,200 acres, according to Orlando Business Journal. That coverage notes portions of the site have already been cleared and that crews are pressing ahead with permitting and infrastructure work.
The Grow’s marketing and builder materials outline a nine-acre, professionally tended working farm with greenhouses, a harvest barn and community gardens, along with a gathering barn for events, on-site retail and a farm-to-table restaurant. Plans also call for miles of trails, pocket parks and a mix of bungalows, townhomes and single-family homes for buyers, per Pulte Homes.
Phase One And What Comes First
Local reporting shows Pulte has closed on more than 400 acres and is preparing a 504-lot first phase that will include a mix of attached and detached homes. The broader master plan calls for roughly 2,078 residential lots and more than 165,000 square feet of commercial space. Those parcel and phase details were reported by GrowthSpotter based on the builder’s land closings and filings.
Location, Traffic And Community Concerns
The Grow sits between State Road 50 (E. Colonial Drive) and Lake Pickett Road, a short drive from UCF and the Central Florida Research Park. Planners say the development will connect into existing arterial roads while also adding trails and a county-run public park. Neighbors have raised traffic and environmental concerns during earlier hearings, and reporting at the time documented contentious county meetings as commissioners weighed rezoning and mitigation plans, according to WESH.
What Buyers Will Find
Pulte’s sales pages list home plans starting in the low $400s and promote community amenities such as a resort-style pool, playgrounds, U-pick community gardens and more than nine miles of trails. The builder is marketing The Grow as an amenitized, no-CDD community aimed at buyers who want new-build comforts with an on-site farming focus, per Pulte Homes.
After years of approvals and delays, regional reporting says The Grow has now moved into construction this winter and is expected to advance homebuilding and farm operations through 2026 as site work continues. Observers point to the project’s scale and long permitting history as reasons residents and planners will be tracking the timing for roads, parks and retail openings, according to Florida Trend.
