Bellissimo deal done: Wellington OKs two luxury-home communities in equestrian preserve

WELLINGTON — The Village Council has approved Mark Bellissimo's plans to build two luxury communities in Wellington's equestrian preserve, where development is limited and high-density construction is barred.

The approvals for The Wellington North and South came at the end of a six-hour meeting Wednesday night, about 18 months after they were first unveiled. They include removing the 96 acres, where Equestrian Village and the Whitebirch Polo Club now stand, from the 9,000-acre equestrian preserve.

Council member John McGovern said the plans by Wellington Lifestyle Partners represented the village's only chance to ensure the growth of its equestrian industry in the midst of competition from places near Ocala and Sarasota.

"We must not let perfection get in the way of good," McGovern said during the meeting. "Now we have to look to the future."

Critics of the proposals say the move has set a dangerous precedent for development in the equine-based area that could lead to urban sprawl similar to that of suburban Boca Raton. They say the project will dramatically transform the preserve by bringing unprecedented density, traffic and construction to it.

The council's vote also came in the face of a $25 million offer from preserve property owners to buy Equestrian Village, a move that likely would have brought the project to a halt.

Wellington's equestrian preserve: 9,000 acres where billionaires play, developers fight

Only one council member cast a no vote on The Wellington plans

The Village Council voted 4-1 to approve The Wellington North, with Vice Mayor Michael Napoleone dissenting. It will replace the Equestrian Village showgrounds along Pierson Road and South Shore Boulevard with 49 single-family homes, 47 townhomes, a clubhouse and a short-range golf facility.

Napoleone joined the rest of the council in unanimously approving The Wellington South, which will bring 107 luxury villas and five 4-acre farms to 290 undeveloped acres at South Shore and Lake Worth Road.

The project also includes changing the zoning on 144 acres to equestrian commercial from residential for new showgrounds at the south end of the Wellington International property. It would replace the facilities at Equestrian Village and include an 11,000-person stadium as tall as six stories.

Council members said during the meeting they wanted to make a final decision on the projects before this year's March election when Michael Drahos, Michael Napoleone and Village Mayor Anne Gerwig end their terms.

The village's Equestrian Preserve Committee will review and vote next week on a compatibility determination for the proposed new showground in a meeting scheduled for Feb. 15.

The proposed showgrounds: Mark Bellissimo's proposed stadium could stand 65 feet high

The Wellington North and South marked Bellissimo's third attempt to develop construction not allowed in the preserve, which was created in 2001.

As part of the applications, Wellington Lifestyle Partners has agreed to over 30 conditions that include having to revert back the 96 acres to the equestrian preserve if it fails to build the new showgrounds by 2028.

Wellington Lifestyle Partners also will be required to operate Equestrian Village — where dressage, hunter and jumper events are currently held — until it replaces the existing facilities in the new showgrounds. It has said the Equestrian Village is no longer viable and that it planned to close it if the luxury communities were not approved.

According to the conditions, Wellington Lifestyle Partners must wait until the showgrounds are built, a process that could take a few years, before it is issued its first residential permit for homes on the Equestrian Village land. In the meantime, the company will be allowed to start construction over the White Birch Polo Fields to erect a golf clubhouse with a short-range driving facility.

The conditions require that the new showgrounds meet the standards of the U.S. and international equestrian federations and include the following:

• A derby field of about 159,375 square feet and a schooling area.

• A main arena of about 87,500 square feet with a minimum of 3,000 seats.

• A covered arena of 70,000 square feet.

• Four additional arenas each about 70,000 square feet.

• A minimum of 200 permanent stables.

• A lunging area of about 42,000 square feet.

• 15 shaded structures.

The village manager will conduct an annual progress walk-through of the property and prepare a report that will be posted on the village's website.

Wellington Lifestyle Partners also will gift the village 55 acres near Forest Hill Boulevard and $2 million to develop the land into a public park. The company will also be responsible for completing drainage and roadway improvements in the areas of South Shore and Greenview Shores boulevards and Pierson Road. It also will lay a 15-foot-wide pathway in the area of The Wellington.

Mayor denies move will set a precedent for development in preserve

Gerwig said the removal of the 96 acres wouldn't set a precedent or weaken protections set for the equestrian preserve. The village has said anyone who wants to remove land from it will need to go through as rigorous a process as Bellissimo.

"This is a hard process," said Gerwig, who will leave office after the March election. "I do not believe that this coming out of the preserve will bring forth any other properties coming out."

Napoleone, who is running for mayor in March, said the purpose of the village's Equestrian Overlay Zoning District was to preserve the equestrian lifestyle with low-density, horse-related constructions such as farms and show rings.

"The project in the North doesn't meet that criteria," Napoleone said. "It's the opposite. It really has nothing to do with equestrians."

Napoleone said he supports expanding Wellington International to "Parcel F" to prevent it from being land-locked and that the only reason the council was considering removing the 96 acres from the preserve was because of the promise of new showgrounds. Those showgrounds were not part of the residential applications, he said.

"No council ever before has taken land out of the EOZD," Napoleone said. "It's an extraordinary ask."

Napoleone said Wellington shouldn't be just another property in the Nexus Luxury Collection portfolio, a luxury housing company that has been involved in the project.

"They want to build an expensive, private residential resort club community, in the heart of Wellington," Napoleone said. "That's not what Wellington is, and that's not what we want Wellington to become."

"I don't think Wellington should become Boca," Napoleone added. "And to me, these applications just feel like that first step toward becoming more Boca, and less Wellington."

Drahos said Wellington's Lifestyle Partner's plan was the best path forward for Wellington's equestrian industry.

"History is going to judge this council," Drahos said. "History is going to judge the village of Wellington, and how we came to be 10, 15, 20 years from now."

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Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Wellington OKs Bellissimo plan for luxury homes in equestrian preserve