Boynton's Valencia Reserve is renovating clubhouse for $9.3M. Here is what homeowners will pay.

BOYNTON BEACH — Homeowners in the Valencia Reserve development west of Boynton Beach have overwhelmingly approved a referendum calling for the expenditure of $9.3 million to rebuild their 13-year-old, 42,000-square-foot clubhouse.

That's about $8,000 for each of the 1,043 homeowners. It would be one of the most expensive renovation projects undertaken in Palm Beach County at a non-golf course community.

Theresa Fowler, who worked for GL Homes while Valencia Reserve was being built but is now a real estate agent, said more older communities are realizing they need to stay competitive with those communities that have updated their facilities and with new ones coming on the market. The first thing that buyers look at are amenities, and if they are worn and tired, buyers often move on, she said.

“We were, you could say, trying to keep up with the Joneses,” said Jeffrey Schepp, president of the Valencia Reserve Homeowners Association. “We were the oldest Valencia that had not done a renovation. Comedians performing in our showroom would sometimes make fun of how aged it looked. It kind of resembled your grandmother’s living room.”

Schepp noted that 943 of the 1,043 homeowners voted, a turnout of 90% — one that has never before been reached. Among those, more than 84% voted to approve the project.

Valencia Reserve, built between 2009 and 2013, is a 55-plus community located off Lyons Road west of Boynton Beach. It stretches west with another entrance on State Road 7.

What is the Valencia Reserve development west of Boynton?

Many of the Valencia Reserve buyers are from the greater New York and Philadelphia area, a major market for GL Homes for the past 25 years. The homebuilder is currently building its 11th Valencia-named development in Palm Beach County; all of the Valencias are 55-plus communities.

Schepp said he was elated with the outcome of the referendum.

“I was totally floored,” said Schepp, of how residents overwhelmingly supported the project. “It is a lot of money, and you are always going to get some people who are not going to support an improvement like this, but it was time. We had to do it. The clubhouse needed a refresh and our people realized that.”

Several 55-plus communities in Palm Beach County have updated clubhouses in recent years or are in the process of doing so, including Valencia Lakes, Venetian Isles, Valencia Shores and Valencia Isles. New nearby Valencias, built by GL Homes, features state-of-the art clubhouses that offer better amenities than the older Valencias.

The current clubhouse features a café, a showroom, a fitness center, several card rooms, a room for arts and crafts and a business center/library.

The HOA held two forums to explain why the work was needed. Both drew a capacity audience of 750 people and additional homeowners viewed the sessions through Zoom. “We went out of our way to detail this as much as possible and get out ahead of objections,” Schepp said.

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Gerald Garfin, a resident of Valencias Reserve, said he voted for the improvement, noting that the board and the committee promoting the work did an excellent job explaining what the community would be getting and why it was important for it to be done.

"It was very impressive," he said, and the overwhelming yes vote shows that.

Michael Heiserman, a licensed architect, was one of the 149 homeowners who voted against the project.

"They are overpaying when you consider that this is complete renovation," he noted. "We are not adding any new space. And there are things that are included that are not needed — like extra seating for the cafe."

Fowler, the former GL Home employee, oversaw the opening of the clubhouse in 2011 for the homebuilder. At the time, she called it the premier clubhouse in the county.

"It really was back then, but time takes it toll," she said.

Fowler noted that Valencia Lakes is going through its second capital improvement program. It was the first Valencia built by GL Homes. It opened in 1999.

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When Fowler worked at Valencia Reserve, homes were priced in the $200,000s. GL Homes' newest development, Valencia Grand, is just to the south of Valencia Reserve. The starting point for houses there now is more than $1 million.

“I think it was a smart move for Valencia Reserve to do this,” Fowler said. “It was a way to protect the investments of homeowners. There has been a turnover. Many of the people who bought at Valencia Reserve paid a lot more for their homes than the original buyers. They are the ones that probably were strongly in favor of redoing the Clubhouse.

What is Valencia Reserve getting for $9.3 million?

The footprint won’t change but the entire clubhouse will be updated. Rooms will be repurposed. A 161-inch giant TV screen will be installed in the showroom along with two smaller screens, making for great Super Bowl parties, Schepp said.

New tile flooring and carpeting will be installed. There will be a loop system for people who are hard of hearing. The café will get a new kitchen along with 48 more seats.

One negative is that the existing clubhouse will be closed for about a year. Schepp said he is in discussions with other Valencias to see if some of their facilities can be used.

A 40-by-40-foot air-conditioned tent will be installed for socializing and card games while the clubhouse is reconstructed. No other Valencia has ever done that during a renovation, Schepp said.

The HOA hopes to have a shovel in the ground by Thanksgiving and expects the project to be completed within 14 months once construction begins.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach's Valencia Reserve is getting a renovated clubhouse