A plan for an 80-room hotel, 89 residences, and an array of shops, restaurants and offices near Wellington’s equestrian core cleared one set of hurdles at the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board by a 7-0 vote on Wednesday, May 21.
However, questions remain about whether developers are underselling what parking they will need for what is being called “The Marketplace at The Wellington.” Still, it marked a step forward for Wellington Lifestyle Partners’ grand-strategy concept earlier approved by village officials to bring about an enhanced horse show in exchange for residential and commercial development.
But is the demand really there for it? PZA Board Vice Chair Michael Drahos, a former member of the Wellington Village Council, noted that another coming development in Wellington mixes residences, a hotel, restaurants and retail — the Related Ross project at K-Park.
“Is your property able to compete with that? Is it able to survive against it, or are we talking about two totally different environments?” Drahos asked.
“I think we’re talking apples and oranges,” said Doug McMahon, chief executive officer of Wellington Lifestyle Partners.
McMahon said that he hopes the Ross project is “wildly successful,” but it’s along the State Road 7 corridor with 65,000 car trips a day and, counting a proposed private school, sits on a 71-acre total footprint, versus 18 acres in this instance.
“What does well on [SR 7] is not necessarily the same thing that we would be desirous to have at the Marketplace,” McMahon said. “I think ours is going to be, and it sounds trite to say ‘neighborhoody,’ but I think we really are in the middle of Wellington.”
That means, he hopes, connection not just by car, but walking or biking or golf carts to get coffee, drinks or food, or visit boutiques.
One argument for the project, including the hotel at its center, is that Wellington is not grabbing its share of a $400 million economic impact and more than 160,000 room nights associated with the winter season of horse shows, supporters said, since many visitors stay outside the village.
Hotel rooms and residences would be supplemented by about 49,000 square feet of office space, 33,000 square feet of restaurants and 35,000 square feet of retail.
The property at issue covers nearly 18 acres at the southwest corner of Greenview Shores and South Shore boulevards. It lies outside the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District and is already currently zoned for commercial use. It is mostly vacant, except for a two-story commercial building of almost 21,000 square feet.
The applicants sought to amend the village’s comprehensive plan and change the Future Land Use Map designation from commercial to mixed-use, gain a conditional-use approval for the hotel, and secure master-plan amendments to accommodate 89 multi-family residential units, described as condominiums for sale.
The board complied, dispensing a few pieces of advice as the plan moves ahead in search of its required Wellington Village Council approval.
PZA Board Chair John Bowers said he wanted to hear more about ways to mitigate traffic, such as future shuttles between an expanded showgrounds and the hotel.
Drahos asked about parking. Builders are proposing 629 parking spaces, which is below the standard way of calculating that need, but they maintain that their particular mix of uses justifies it. In a contingency plan, they are allowing for up to 746 spaces by building a second parking garage, if annual monitoring shows a need for it.
“I think you guys need to drill down a little bit more on that,” Drahos said.
Builders believe that they’re on track with applications for traffic approvals from Palm Beach County and village authorities, according to Bryan Kelley, vice president of Simmons & White, which is providing traffic and engineering services for the project. He said studies show a slight reduction in traffic compared to what could have been built under the current commercial zoning.
Among other things, the plan allows for dual southbound right turns on Greenview Shores at the intersection of South Shore, essentially doubling from one turn lane.
Traffic is one of the main reasons triggering opposition from resident Patricia Bachi, who lives about a mile from the project.
“I’m against it,” she said during time for public comments. “I think most residents are against it.”
People are getting worn down by a series of approvals for development on Wellington’s few remaining pockets of available land, Bachi said.
“They’re tired,” she said. “They don’t think you listen to them.”
Another nearby resident, Larry Unger, said he did not necessarily oppose the project but expressed concerns about operating hours, possibly entailing the noise of cars leaving at night, and lighting that might shine into neighboring communities.
“I think those things need to be clarified,” he said.
Equestrian activist Maureen Brennan said she lives a few hundred yards from the project and opposes it. She took issue with the notion that the hotel is needed for Wellington to get “our” share of lodging dollars.
“We do get our share,” said Brennan, who is the current president of the Greater Wellington Chamber of Commerce. “We get bed tax back from Palm Beach County.”
The “our” in this case, she said, is simply the developer’s share of hotel profits, not a special benefit to the community around it.
