The Village of Wellington wants to expand its borders through another annexation. Future residents of the planned Artistry Lakes community will likely have Wellington included in their addresses after the Wellington Village Council approved proceeding with annexing the land into the village earlier this month.
The council passed an ordinance to move forward with the annexation of the site at a meeting Monday, Jan. 12. The vacant land, located east of Arden on the north side of Southern Blvd., is one of several potential areas of interest for the village to annex.
“At one of the visioning sessions, there was discussion about future annexation areas, and we presented three areas: the south, northeast and northwest as potential areas for annexation,” Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Building Director Tim Stillings said. “Direction was given to pursue those as the timing presented itself.”
Village staff members have been in contact with property owners in those areas, with Artistry Lakes being in favor of annexation. Currently, the property is owned by Kolter Homes. In a letter sent to Stillings, the owners explained that they do not object to being incorporated into Wellington.
In 2024, Palm Beach County officials approved the land for a planned unit development (PUD) consisting of 480 single-family homes, 54 multi-family workforce housing units, eight acres for commercial use and approximately nine acres for civic use.
Because the property does not have any registered voters, village officials are initiating an involuntary annexation process. No referendum will be held, and it would only require approval by the council.
In a letter to Village Manager Jim Barnes, officials from Palm Beach County expressed their opposition to the annexation. The letter indicated the county’s assertion that moving forward violates Florida statutes that require annexed areas to be developed for urban purposes, and they must be able to fully associate and trade with the existing community.
Village staff pushed back on this assertion and told the council that the site is already approved for development, and there are no barriers that prevent future residents from being isolated from the rest of the village.
Wellington resident Elizabeth Pandich, who is running for a council seat in the upcoming municipal election, spoke at the meeting about the proposed annexation. She was concerned about how a controversial proposed AI data center to the west of Arden, near Artistry Lakes, could impact Wellington. The plan, called Project Tango, has received backlash from the community over potential negative health effects and utility rate increases if it were to be built.
“My only concern would be the upcoming Project Tango,” Pandich said. “If that could present, down the line, any undue infrastructure issues with having a data center that close to what would now be, or what could potentially be, Wellington land.”
Even with the county’s opposition, council members unanimously passed the ordinance to annex the property. No information has been released on when consideration of the annexation’s second reading will take place. Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board was set to review the land use, zoning and master plan for Artistry Lakes at a meeting Wednesday, Jan. 21.
In 2024, Wellington annexed 258 acres on the north side of Southern Blvd. near Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. The county objected to that annexation as well, but it did not take further action to stop it.
In other business:
- Applicants of the Lotis Wellington project requested to postpone consideration of an amendment to their master plan. The item was moved to the council’s Feb. 24 meeting.
- The council unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance aimed at allowing longer stays for recreational vehicles (RVs) in the western Wellington enclave of Rustic Ranches. The area off Flying Cow Ranch Road was excluded from changes made in 2019 that allowed RVs to remain on a property for six months, if the property has at least five acres of land. The ordinance is designed to help meet the changing needs of that community.
- At the meeting, Councilwoman Maria Antuña suggested extending Barnes’ contract. The manager’s current contract is set to expire in December of this year. At the meeting, Barnes also gave notice that he would like his contract to be renewed.
“The knowledge Mr. Barnes has of 23-plus years, and his experience, are definitely needed as we move forward with the success of Wellington,” Antuña said. “To disrupt what we have now would probably not be a benefit for our future with all that’s at stake for our success.”
The council appointed Councilman John McGovern to negotiate the manager’s contract.
Barnes was promoted to manager in January 2021. He was previously Wellington’s deputy village manager.
