BY JACK LOWENSTEIN
Wellington’s Architectural Review Board met Wednesday, Feb. 15 and approved the components that architects have designed for the new Lemongrass Asian Bistro restaurant in the Mall at Wellington Green.
This new restaurant is directly adjacent to the newly finished Paragon Theaters, explained JGMA Vice President Jason Nuttelman. JGMA, an architecture and design firm based in Chicago, also worked on the Paragon Theaters project.
“We really feel like this finishes that new brand and that new façade,” Nuttelman said of the restaurant.
Lemongrass will have a patio that comes out farther than the building previously did. Nuttelman said this will help to create an identity and brand for the new addition to the mall, along with the movie theater.
Lemongrass will have a “green wall” at its storefront. The wall isn’t only green in color; it will be green in nature, as the wall will be made up of various “potted plants.”
There will be two separate green walls, one with the restaurant signage near the entrance and another one to the left of the entrance, closer to the movie theater.
“That green wall is actually being installed right now, and the plantings will be delivered tomorrow,” Nuttelman said.
The idea for this living wall was an important design aspect for Nuttelman.
“It really completes the composition of the rebranding of the mall in this area,” Nuttelman said. “It’s hard to believe that this used to be a truck dock in this area of the mall.”
Board Member Roger Grave de Peralta was concerned about maintenance for the green walls.
“Is there any sort of requirement for them to maintain a green wall?” Grave de Peralta asked.
A representative of Starwood Retail Partners, the company that owns and manages the mall, said the maintenance will be taken care of in two ways: the tenant will take care of daily maintenance, while the landlord will make sure there is an irrigation system installed to nurture the plants.
“I’m sure they’re going to want to get it well-maintained,” Board Member Ron Shamash said. “Otherwise, that will be detrimental to business.”
Shamash made a motion to approve the original request for modifications to exterior elevations, colors and signage with technical deviations for Lemongrass Asian Bistro. The request for maintenance of the green wall by Grave de Peralta was also added to the motion. The final motion for approval passed unanimously.
Originally, the new movie theater and the restaurant were approved through a new amendment to the mall’s master plan in June 2015. This allowed construction of the movie theater and creation of the outdoor patio in this new section of the mall.
The front of the restaurant is also going to be made up of glass and metal panels, which are designed to produce a good environment for natural lighting. “And now, it’s a grand entry into a theater, two new restaurants,” Nuttelman said. “So, we are just really excited how it has transformed an underutilized part of this existing mall.”
Lemongrass Asian Bistro has existing locations in Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Fort Lauderdale. For more info., visit www.lemongrassasianbistro.com.
ABOVE: An artist’s rendering of the planned Lemongrass Asian Bistro restaurant in Wellington.
