The new owners of the Isla Carroll property off 120th Avenue South near the National Polo Center have proposed a revised development plan that they believe will save one of the site’s polo fields in perpetuity. The project was discussed at a meeting of Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The committee was divided on a request to change the site’s current zoning status to a planned unit development, which would allow the owners to seek approval of a proposal to build 40 homes with a clubhouse in the center of the development, and an area that could be used for equestrian activities.
McCourt Partners, founded by billionaire Frank McCourt, has partnered with Discovery Land Company to develop Isla Carroll into a luxury residential community. The land, which was once owned by polo patron John Goodman, is part of Wellington’s Equestrian Overlay Zoning District (EOZD) and has two polo fields and other horse-related amenities.
The 40 homes, each on no less than .43 acres, would be on one side of the 79-acre parcel. A previous proposal that would have used most of the land for homes with a club site was withdrawn earlier this year.
Ed Divita, partner at Discovery Land Company, showed the committee that current zoning laws permit them to build all 40 homes over the entire site. However, through working with polo officials and the community, they did a ground-up re-assessment of the property to determine how they could have dedicated open space for equestrian use. This way, the community would still have the Isla Carroll East Field as an open space, allowing the development to maintain an “equestrian lifestyle.”
“By preserving the historic Isla Carroll East Field in perpetuity, and adding a world-class polo venue, this project will strengthen Wellington’s status as the premier international home of polo,” Divita said.
Developers estimate that homes there will cost $3.5 million to $6 million. The development is also planned to have a community center that the committee described as a country club. Club membership is estimated to be about $50,000. It will offer several luxury amenities for residents.
But even with this high price tag, those who live in the community will not be able to use the field for equestrian activities. They will, however, have access to it for polo events.
Several members of the committee did not seem convinced. Since residents could not use the fields, they explained it seemed counterintuitive to the “equestrian lifestyle” that developers were looking to maintain.
“You’re depending on an equestrian lifestyle that depends on outside people,” Vice Chair Dr. Kristy Lund said. “You’re bringing horses from the outside. That totally defeats the definition of an equestrian development.”
Moreover, committee members said they had concerns over developers only having a letter of intent rather than an agreement to have the Isla Carroll East Field be used for polo activities. Without an official agreement, some members worried that the high overhead costs to maintain the field would lead to developers abandoning those plans.
Bob McMurtry, interim chief operating officer of the United States Polo Association (USPA), represented the organization and tried to reassure the committee that the USPA, which owns the adjacent National Polo Center, was going to use the field. He expressed his support for the plan on behalf of the sport’s national governing body.
“I want to express our support for the proposed Isla Carroll Wellington development and particularly for its commitment to preserve and enhance the historic Isla Carroll East Field,” McMurtry said. “Under the current proposal, that historic field will not only be preserved for equestrian use, but it will be reenergized as a critical polo venue for future generations.”
McMurtry also explained there was a letter of intent that detailed a 10-year agreement with the developers, with three-year extensions anticipated. The letter noted that the USPA will use the area for polo-related activities during the season, pay for the cost of maintaining the field, and share part of those costs with the developers. In the off-season, the developer may use it for polo or other events.
Representatives from McCourt Partners reiterated to the committee that they are committed to implementing the plan in collaboration with the USPA.
“Our intent is to make the USPA the hallmark of the operation,” said Tom Lucid, senior vice president of development at McCourt Partners. “We are willing to work with the USPA on making sure that happens to the satisfaction of the Village of Wellington.”
Some Wellington residents commented at the meeting that increasing development in equestrian areas would dilute the original intent of Wellington’s equestrian preserve.
“The narrative of saving the iconic Isla Carroll polo field in perpetuity is a narrative and nothing more because there is nothing to guarantee it,” said Maureen Brennan, a Wellington resident and equestrian who opposed the project. “I beg you to help protect our equestrian preserve and our live-and-breathe horse lifestyle.”
Others were more concerned about what these types of projects could mean for Wellington as a whole.
“The point is you’re bringing all of these families here, and most of these homes are supposed to be $2 and $3 million, if not more,” Wellington resident Carol Coleman said. “We don’t have any place for people who are nurses, teachers, police officers and postal workers. Where are they supposed to live? They’re not going to buy these houses. If we lose the equestrian community here, they’re not going to be people buying those homes.”
Committee Member Annabelle Garrett explained how, despite the name, Wellington’s “equestrian preserve” is not a true preserve. It’s a zoning district, and lots within it are allowed to be developed under specified regulations.
“This isn’t about taking land… out of the equestrian preserve,” Garrett said. “Unfortunately, the preserve allows for development.”
Due to the high costs of maintaining polo fields, one of the few profitable options for developers is to build homes in the area. Garrett also encouraged the public to get involved in starting an “open land foundation” in Wellington to prevent the land in the equestrian preserve from being developed by taking ownership of it. In that way, they would be able to secure parts of the preserve only as open space areas.
Due to concerns about the proposal, the committee voted 4-3 to recommend that Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board deny the ordinance. They subsequently voted to recommend the denial of the applicant’s master plan by a vote of 5-2. The proposal heads next to the PZA Board, and then to the Wellington Village Council, which has final authority on the matter.
