Osceola County’s Westside Boulevard corridor has long been a magnet for vacation home resorts, and the new Eden Gardens Resort community has now closed its first home sale at $1.19 million, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

The 255-home community is the brainchild of homebuilder Eli Steinhardt, who relocated from Illinois to Florida to pursue his dream of building a vacation home resort that could be a second home to Orthodox Jews.

Steinhardt said the house on Lady Alice Drive was a model home for Eden Gardens. At nearly 6,000 square feet, the Iris model is the largest floorplan, with eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The buyers, according to public records, are Salem and Judith Saka.

All homes in Eden Gardens come with a private, screened swimming pool and plenty of gathering space. The community will have tennis courts, a community center and spa.

What sets Eden Gardens apart are the features installed specifically to appeal to Orthodox Jews.

Each kitchen has two separate sinks so it can function as a Kosher kitchen.

“We ran gas lines so people could cook on the holidays,” Steinhardt said. Jews who observe the Sabbath can not use electricity or turn a stove on and off, but with a gas range, they can keep a burner lit and adjust the heat for cooking.

And most important — since Jews don’t drive on the Sabbath — Steinhardt has submitted building permit applications for a new synagogue right next door that will serve as the heart of the community. He plans to break ground in the fall on the building designed to accommodate up to 439 people. The building will have its own mikvah, a small pool used for ritual baths.

The entire community will have a mix of uses, including a 138-unit condo hotel with conference center and a commercial building with offices, restaurants and a grocery stocked with Kosher food.

The competition along Westside Boulevard comes from large production builders, such as Pulte, Lennar and Mattamy. As an independent builder, Steinhardt sells the lots first in separate transactions, then contracts with the buyer for the home construction. The buyer takes out a construction-to-permanent loan.

Using that method, the company has already sold about 95 lots in Phase 1 and completed roughly 20 homes. The sale price for lots range from the low $100s to the high $500s and total nearly $13 million. One house under construction now will close for $1.775 million upon completion.

The buyers are not all Jewish, and the community will have an event facility that can be used by anyone, Steinhardt said.

“We’re super careful about equal housing,” he said. “We made a point that the synagogue is not on Eden Gardens property — it’s adjacent. It’s not part of the HOA.”

To read more about early-stage development in Central Florida, go to GrowthSpotter.com and subscribe.