Where Community Meets Conservation
Inside Newfield, where 70% of the development is preserved open space
Development is a slow and steady game on Florida’s Treasure Coast. For Newfield, the project began as an honest aspiration for financial journalist Knight Kiplinger.
Kiplinger’s family owned the over 4,000-acre property in Martin County for nearly half a century.
In 2017, he began shaping the idea of a Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND), with protected open space and a working farm, into a real plan. He worked closely with residents, a tight-knit community often skeptical of new developments, city planners and officials to gain support.
Upon approval from the county in late 2020, Kiplinger needed the right company to execute this vision.
Finding a Partner
Many builders and developers showed interest in Newfield. The land is approved for up to 4,200 residential units across approximately 3,411 acres.
In 2022, Mattamy Homes was brought in as Newfield’s master developer.
Mattamy Homes was founded in Burlington, Ontario, in 1978 and remains family-owned. It took 33 years for the builder to deliver its first 50,000 homes, but in 2026 it surpassed 150,000.
The company’s approach evolved to emphasize complete communities that respond to changing buyer needs.
“Our approach begins with thoughtful community planning and extends through the architecture of our homes, with a focus on health and well-being, sustainability and meaningful human connection,” said Dan Grosswald, Southeast Florida Division President at Mattamy Homes.
The First Residents
As development continued, Kiplinger remained close to the project, serving as an adviser and ambassador. In November 2024, Rosette Park, Newfield’s first TND residential village, began model home previews and sales. In spring 2025, it welcomed its first residents.
Newfield aspires to serve residents at different stages of life. This informed the offerings, which include townhomes, villas and detached single-family homes, such as the Montauk and Paris models. The homes incorporate energy-efficient features, including smart thermostats, water-saving faucets, low-VOC paints, spray foam insulation and ENERGY STAR certification.
The Montauk approaches single-family home design with an emphasis on flow and gathering. It is more than 3,600 square feet, with four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms and a three-car garage. The open-concept layout mirrors the community’s ethos, providing spaces for family connection through the kitchen, dining, living and outdoor areas.
The Paris sits at an economical 1,900 square feet with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a two-car garage. The compact design is balanced by a spacious backyard that feels tucked away from the activity out front.
Grosswald described that in TND, positioning homes elevated 24 inches and closer to sidewalks encourages a stronger connection between the homes, the street and interaction among neighbors.
“The result is architecture that creates a welcoming relationship between the home, the street and the neighborhood, balancing opportunities for connection with the privacy and individuality of each home,” said Grosswald.
A Commitment to More
As the community developed, the planning and engineering teams were challenged by how residential infrastructure, stormwater management, agricultural operations and wildlife habitats would all work together.
The answer was to integrate farmland and conservation areas as a cornerstone of community life.
The community permanently preserves 70% of the land as open space, dedicating 2,000 of Newfield’s acres to native wetlands, native uplands and wildlife habitats. This protected space is known as the Kiplinger Conservancy and KC Trails, a landscape for mountain biking and horseback riding as well as Martin County’s first gopher tortoise preserve and sanctuary.
Newfield’s most unique amenity is its 150-acre working farm, where residents can connect with the land they live in and live on. The Newfield Farm continues the community’s sustainable commitment through, including locally produced compost, low-till farming, cover cropping and crop rotation.
Other notable features include DarkSky-compliant street lighting, rain gardens, bioswale planters, manmade wetlands that help filter agricultural runoff, crushed-shell walkways and native, drought-tolerant landscaping. Together, these elements help manage stormwater, conserve water, reduce light pollution and support local ecosystems.
This strategy earned Newfield the Florida Green Land Development certification, a recognition of sustainable land planning and environmental stewardship. Newfield scored 148 points, above the 109 required for silver certification.
Newfield is expected to develop over approximately 15 years. As Newfield enters the second phase of development, Mattamy is advancing plans for Downtown Newfield, a 20-acre mixed-use district.
“Mattamy Homes is creating a place that brings together the best of Florida’s natural environment with thoughtfully designed homes and meaningful opportunities for connection,” said Grosswald. “As we move into the next phase, we’re excited to build on that foundation and continue creating a community that will serve Martin County for generations.”
This story is featured in our September/October issue of Green Home Builder. Read the print version here.
