How Wellington is growing: Bellissimo's equestrian preserve project nears final vote

WELLINGTON — The Village Council is poised to vote this week on Mark Bellissimo's grandest and riskiest plan to build two luxury communities within Wellington’s equestrian preserve.

Representatives of some of the preserve's most influential families told the council on Tuesday, Jan. 23, they didn't believe Bellissimo's team could deliver on their promises to construct new, high-quality showgrounds if he's allowed to build The Wellington North and The Wellington South.

Their lawyers said the plans by Wellington Lifestyle Partners (WLP) still had too many unanswered questions, even with the reduction of another two homes from The Wellington South project and allowing the removal of 96 acres from the equestrian preserve, which voters created in 2000.

Attorney Harvey Oyer, who represented Jeremy Jacobs, the owner of Deeridge Farms and the NHL's Boston Bruins, said the Jacobs family had kept an open mind about the proposals but was still skeptical about the conditions of the deal. He proposed a "covenant" agreement that would allow nearby property owners to sue WLP if it doesn't fulfill those conditions.

"It would be our preference to not do any of this. But we understand there are reasons that add value to this community," Oyer said. "Should you decide to move in that direction, we want to put enough guardrails and safeguards around this proposal so that we get exactly what was promised to us."

Wellington meetings to hold final vote on equestrian preserve project continue Wednesday, Thursday

The meeting on Tuesday was the first of three scheduled for this week; the council will hold a second and final vote on WLP’s plans at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

The projects are Bellissimo's third attempt to develop land he owns in the equestrian preserve. His companies failed to win village approval in 2012 and 2016.

Bellissimo did not attend the meeting but his daughter Paige Bellissimo and Doug McMahon, who are leading the projects, told the council they had significantly changed their applications since they were first presented a year ago.

What changed since November?

McMahon, the CEO of Wellington Lifestyle Partners, told the council that the company reduced the number of homes in the proposed communities to 203 from 447. He said WLP had also agreed to voluntary conditions that would require relocating facilities in the Equestrian Village before breaking ground on the housing portions of the projects.

The current application includes the donation by WLP of a 50-acre park to the village and 57 miles of bridle trails for horses to connect both neighborhoods.

Wellington North would be built on 96 acres at South Shore Boulevard and Pierson Road, on the sites of the current Equestrian Village and the White Birch Polo Club. It would feature 49 single-family homes, 47 townhomes and a private country club with swimming pools, pickleball courts and a short-range golf facility.

Originally, WLP had proposed to build 300 condos on the site. It removed the Coach House property from the project in October and dropped the number of units to 250. The current plans total 96 residences with the townhomes placed along the northern edge.

For Wellington North, WLP is requesting the village do something it has never permitted before: remove the 96 acres from the equestrian preserve, where hotels, motels, condominiums, apartments and high-density housing are forbidden and commercial buildings are limited.

Cynthia Gardner, who helped craft the protections set for the equestrian preserve in 2000, said the proposed residential projects didn't belong in the area characterized by farms and horse venues. She said taking land out of the preserve would open the door for other developers to do the same.

"The equestrian industry is the only industry that we have and without careful planning, we could do irreparable damage," Gardner said. "Approving single-family and multifamily housing projects for the sake of a developer to make money seems like a poor trade for jeopardizing the entire future of the equestrian preserve."

Wellington South would bring 107 luxury homes to 290 undeveloped acres at South Shore and Lake Worth Road. Part of its application calls for changing the zoning on 114 acres to allow for the new equestrian showgrounds at the south end of the Wellington International property. It would replace facilities at Equestrian Village and include a stadium as tall as six stories.

The first application for Wellington South sought to build 197 luxury villas of half an acre in size. The current plans call for 107 residences that include six 1.17-acre homes on the southern border with Mida Farms and five five-acre farms on the north.

The blueprints for new showgrounds are a separate application that is still pending the approval of a compatibility determination by village boards.

The village's Equestrian Preserve Committee recommended last summer that the Village Council reject Bellissimo's proposals until plans for the equestrian center are in place. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of Wellington South but that no action be taken on Wellington North until village boards could vote and evaluate plans for the showgrounds.

“Voting something out of the EPA (Equestrian Preserve Area) without that information is questionable,” said John Bowers, the planning board’s vice-chair in August. "If it was truly for housing, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. No one would vote to take it out of EPA.”

Wellington Lifestyle Partners: All or nothing

McMahon said during the meeting the luxury communities are crucial to pay for the new horse center and for Wellington to keep its stake in the equestrian industry as it faces competition from Ocala and Sarasota.

"How do we ensure Wellington is the premier horse community in the world? It's by making sure the showgrounds thrive here," McMahon said. "That is the secret sauce."

WLP has cast its plan in all-or-nothing terms.

If the residential projects are not approved, McMahon said, Bellissimo would close Equestrian Village and dressage would be left without a venue. He added the equestrian preserve was not undeveloped land and had been built with farms and equestrian venues.

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"This is not Yellowstone. This is not Central Park in New York," said McMahon. "But it is a treasure that should be protected."

McMahon said the partners for the project had also changed.

WLP has decided it would finance, build and operate the new horse facility all by itself instead of partnering with Tavistock, a company owned by British investor Joe Lewis, and Global Equestrian Group (GEG), a European firm that owns equestrian venues around the world.

McMahon said GEG had initially proposed to buy the land for the new showgrounds and bring its expertise to build and operate the venue but was no longer part of the project.

"We are not Global Equestrian Group. We are not Wellington International," said McMahon. "We do not operate the showgrounds."

The change did little to appease critics of the proposals who say WLP does not have the skill, experience or resources to build the ultra-luxury equestrian facility they are proposing.

WLP would fund $40 million to $50 million of the new showgrounds to replace the facilities in Equestrian Village by 2028, McMahon said.

"You really have us exactly where you want us," McMahon said. "The conditions are clear. We have to deliver a fixed set of assets, whether they cost $1 or $7."

WLP also submitted a separate application to the village to build a commercial area on the corner of Southern Boulevard and Grandview Drive that would feature a boutique hotel, six restaurants and 20 shops with a walkable main street.

Three people spoke in favor of the projects Tuesday night. They said the existing facilities at Equestrian Village and Wellington International needed major improvements and having one venue to consolidate all sports would be safer for riders and horses.

"I look at the bigger picture and I see the horseshow needs to grow and expand. It's landlocked," said John Ingram, village resident and equestrian. "What I see has been proposed here is a practical solution that will be good for the equestrian community and good for the overall village."

Interested parties say the proposal is not ready and would transform the equestrian preserve

Residents who spoke in the meeting said WLP had filed their plans backward. They want the developer’s team to resubmit the proposals from the beginning, starting with a complete, detailed plan and financial commitments for the new showgrounds.

Jane Cleveland, chair of the village's Equestrian Preserve Committee, said WLP was putting the cart before the horse.

"This is not a horse-show application. This is an application for residential and taking land out of preserve," Cleveland said. "The way this should work is a housing development should apply for housing development, not get tangled up with a horse show."

Cleveland said the components of a new equestrian center shouldn't be defined by "flimsy" conditions but on actual site plans that are vetted by village boards. She added WLP was using the 228 acres for the new showgrounds on Pod F to strong-arm the council into allowing the removal of the 96 acres from the preserve.

"Pod F has been held hostage for entitlements for the housing on The Wellington North." Cleveland said. "Is Pod F going to be held hostage again?"

Oyer told the council the current building conditions proposed by WLP were not enough to ensure they would deliver the showgrounds and all necessary improvements before they erect residences.

He requested the council add further conditions including that neighbors within 500 feet of the projects be considered part of the contract with the village, so they have the right to sue if WLP doesn't fulfill its promises.

"The affected neighbors must have a right to enforce the covenant," Oyer said. "Not just hope that some future village council will do so because we are the ones adversely affected."

Residents also raised concerns the project would transform the equestrian preserve by bringing unprecedented density and traffic to the area.

Maureen Brennan, a village resident and equestrian, told the council there were still too many lingering questions for the applications regarding the ownership of the land, where the money for the showgrounds would come from and how long WLP it would be operated.

She urged the council to delay voting until at least until WLP answers all the questions files a complete proposal for the showgrounds.

"What the rush?" Brennan asked. "If this does go through this week, this next council will have to deal with this mess, and it will be a mess."

Brennan said she felt councilmembers were ignoring the pleas of the majority of residents who were against the proposals that showed up to meetings and filed public comments.

"This is our Yellowstone," Brennan said. "We need to be heard."

Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Loxahatchee and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mark Bellissimo's Wellington equestrian preserve project nears final vote