A developer is seeking to shrink the Equestrian Preserve so that he can build condos and hotels on newly acquired land. What’s more, he is seeking to eliminate most Council oversight on what, when and how he builds within the Preserve.
Less than a year ago, Wellington’s voters overwhelmingly approved a Charter Amendment, through Questions 1 and 3, to prohibit hotels, motels and condos in the Preserve. The voters have spoken, conclusively, and yet this developer is still attempting to subvert that will.
This developer is lobbying the village council to shrink the Equestrian Preserve to allow his own condo-hotels and to remove Council oversight. If approved, this blatant end-run around the Village Charter will open the door for this and other developers to eliminate our Equestrian Preserve, which will lead to less green space, more traffic, and overdevelopment of this one-of-a-kind resource which has made Wellington what it is today. We must act now to prevent this effort to subvert the people’s will once and for all.
What is the Developer Proposing?
* Create a new “floating zoning district” that the developer’s properties fall within, and chosen others can apply to be part of, that gives new unchecked “automatic development rights.”
* Remove the International Polo Club from the Preserve. The developer purchased this property AFTER the referendum. This is clearly skirting the will of the voters. Removing property from the Preserve has never been done before, and requires 4 council votes.
* Build condo-hotels, apartments and more at IPC, and eventually at other properties within the Preserve, with permission to build any arena, hotel, apartment, communications tower, retail and other type of building without approval of Village Council
* Allow towering buildings that are 56 feet tall and higher – more than double the current limit within the Preserve, while increasing development density, allowing more lot coverage, and reducing setbacks.
Why does this matter?
Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve is critical to our Village’s identity and our local economy. It must be protected from exploitation and overdevelopment.
Voters chose by a two-thirds majority to protect the the Preserve for generations to come. That vote should matter.
What can you do?
Contact the Village Council: (561) 791-4000
Tell them not to ruin the Preserve!
Mayor Anne Gerwig – agerwig@wellingtonfl.gov
John T. McGovern – jmcgovern@wellingtonfl.gov
Michael J. Napoleone – mnapoleone@wellingtonfl.gov
Michael Drahos – mdrahos@wellingtonfl.gov
Tanya Siskind – tsiskind@wellingtonfl.gov
Raise awareness of this issue by talking with your neighbors, contacting our Village Council members, and sharing posts on Facebook.
Sign up for more information in the coming days on how you can help Protect the Equestrian Preserve.