A plan to construct 42 luxury homes in Wellington’s southern end won 3-2 approval by the Wellington Village Council last week after builders pledged more than $500,000 for road improvements around the community’s proposed entrance at 120th Avenue South and the nearby intersection at Lake Worth Road.
“I’m not prepared to say you can’t build it, because I think we’ve solved most of the issues related to 120th access,” Mayor Michael Napoleone said at the Tuesday, Aug. 13 meeting.
However, other council members were not as sure.
“I know what’s going to happen already,” said Councilwoman Maria Antuña, one of two no votes with Councilwoman Amanda Silvestri. “It’s going to be excessive traffic on 120th.”
The approved master-plan amendments clear the way for Pulte Home Company LLC to build on land it arranged to buy from the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach. The property sits near St. Therese De Lisieux Catholic Church, about 800 feet south of the intersection of Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South. It was previously zoned for a future daycare center, school or other community use.
The 22.5-acre property is part of the Orange Point Planned Unit Development.
The latest tweaks involve developer contributions toward a new southbound turn lane on 120th leading into the prospective community entrance and an expanded culvert over a canal, among other items.
Many homes will be two-story models, but builders agreed to limit four homes to one story where they back up to neighbors to their east. Some neighbors expressed concerns. April Clark said she worried that landscaping was not sufficient to block views and noise. Developers said they would work on strengthening that.
Other speakers urged the council to slow down and look for better solutions because Wellington is not going to fail for lack of $2 million homes, as resident Kevin Turner put it.
“You’re talking about fixing problems when it comes to Pulte’s entrance, but it still bottlenecks when you go further north,” Turner said.
There are plenty of moving parts surrounding the project.
The council voted 5-0 to approve an action plan related to Vision Zero, a program that aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in the village by 2030. It has potential components that affect 120th.
The plan is to apply for grants from outside agencies to supplement village spending for particular initiatives that could include a $4 million, five-entrance roundabout at Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South.
Part of Pulte’s pledge would go to intersection improvements there.
A roundabout guides motorists around a central island with the idea of avoiding back-ups at a traffic light.
In other business:
- The council awarded the village’s Vision Zero Hero Award to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeffrey Taschner. The honor recognizes his work in traffic enforcement to help make roads safer.
- The council unanimously supported preliminary steps in approving a $148 million budget for fiscal year 2025 that will be finalized in September. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
