Developers of the Lotis Wellington project went before the Wellington Village Council on Tuesday, March 10 after months of postponements to share their latest plan changes. The council, while disappointed with the current state of the project, approved a master plan amendment in the hopes of still giving residents something they would want.
In 2020, the council granted a series of approvals for a mixed-use development off State Road 7, just north of Wellington Regional Medical Center. For the second phase of the project, developers initially planned to build an assisted living facility, apartments, office space and a daycare center on the site. Since then, many of those plans were scrapped in favor of more commercial and entertainment uses.
Miniature-golf company Popstroke, co-owned by pro golfer Tiger Woods, entered into a multi-million-dollar agreement to lease part of the site. That agreement fell apart in 2024, when Popstroke terminated its lease, which left developers scrambling to find replacements. Last year, Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board recommended approval of allowing a free-standing restaurant and increasing the daycare capacity, but not the removal of an entertainment use on the three acres where Popstroke was planned.
At the council’s meeting on March 10, developers asked the council to remove the entertainment conditional use for those three acres. They explained that they found it difficult to find entertainment-based tenants, so a restaurant and retail use will be a better option.
“The reality is, it’s a much better plan,” said Brian Terry of Insite Studio, agent for the developer. “I think there’s a new opportunity with it, and it’s going to open some doors that weren’t otherwise there.”
Agreements with prospective businesses have made it difficult to find new tenants. The pending contract with restaurant Seasons 52 restricts any food or beverage establishment larger than 3,000 square feet or a gym from being nearby. Construction company Lennar, which will be building homes at the site, also put restrictions in its contract. Lennar’s contract prevents the area from having bars, nightclubs, dance halls, skating rinks, pool halls, adult-oriented establishments or gun ranges.
Council members were displeased with the number of changes that the project has undergone. They were still interested in continuing the entertainment conditional use on one side of the development.
“We have a level of frustration as to what we thought we were getting for our residents and what we’re winding up with for our residents,” Napoleone said. “It has gone from what we thought was going to be better to something that’s maybe just good.”
Councilman John McGovern explained that he believed that the project, with all its changes and tenant restrictions, would not have been approved because residents wanted some kind of entertainment activity available there.
“If we take Lotis 1 and Lotis 2 together, and we brought all the changes that led us to this part, I don’t think this project would have been approved,” McGovern said.
Given the disagreements, Tim Stillings, the village’s Planning, Zoning & Building Director, suggested approving an 8,000-square-foot building that is supposed to replace the PopStroke complex, with the conditional use decision being made at a later date. This will give developers specific information to advertise and provide more time for them to find other tenants that could use the space for something related to entertainment.
“At least they then have the 8,000 square feet to work with and know what they have on the site,” Stillings said.
With the suggestion being a reasonable compromise, the council unanimously passed a motion for developers to return to the council with prospective tenants to determine the usage of the 8,000-square-foot building. The motion also approved the free-standing restaurant and increased the daycare capacity.
