Opening in the fall of 2028, Related Ross’ Village Landing development will bring a new wave of business and community gathering spaces to Wellington.
Developers from the company gave business and community leaders a closer look at their latest plans for the property off State Road 7 at Stribling Way at a special event luncheon hosted by the Greater Wellington Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The approximately 70 acres of land, formerly known as K-Park, will be home to multiple new shops, restaurants, office space, a hotel and a private school. Village Landing has been in the works for years. Related Ross agreed to purchase the land from Wellington for $47 million, and earlier this year, it began construction on the project. The company announced Tuesday, Sept. 1 that it had formally closed on the acquisition.
The developers won approval from village leaders for their plans for a pedestrian-only promenade with several other districts to attract visitors and business to the village.
“The Village Landing project, although it’s in Wellington, and it’s spoken of frequently as a Wellington project, is really serving the entire western communities,” explained Kevin Ryan, executive vice president at Related Ross.
The project will be walkable but still have the suburban, village-like character that Wellington is known for. The developer’s goal was to create a gathering place for residents to stay and discover. In the center of Village Landing will be multiple interconnected plazas and green spaces that run through the entire project.
Developers designed the project to be a lifestyle-oriented space with its retail and dining options being front and center. About 80 retail and restaurant venues are expected to be within the property.
“When we think about the retail vision for Village Landing, our goal is to really create a thoughtful, dynamic mix that feels authentic to the market, that gives people a reason to spend time here and ultimately keep coming back,” said Whitney Wiese, retail leasing director at Related Ross.
The Related Ross team said that they will be intentional with the tenants they choose to lease to. They are hoping to have a curated mix of national brands combined with local businesses to make the area a one-stop destination serving the needs of all visitors.
Each area will be uniquely designed but integrated into the environment to fit naturally with the others. Developers also plan to build various recreational and outdoor amenities to make Village Landing an ideal gathering place.
“There will be districts and neighborhoods — it will be defined by architecture, public realm, landscaping and an overall sense of place,” Wiese said. “We want the retail to feel integrated into those different environments, rather than simply just in a collection of storefronts.”
About one-third of the 80 venues will be restaurants. Christopher Monaco, director of restaurant operations at Related Ross, explained that the goal is to create a wide range of dining experiences that appeal to people for different reasons.
“When you hear food and beverage, people think of chefs or restaurants,” he said. “We really think about experiences, and that’s really what we want to create.”
One of the largest components of Village Landing is the construction of a new $280 million private school on nearly 44 acres at the western part of the parcel. The school, called Wingrove Academy, is intended to redefine what excellence looks like in independent private school education.
“Our charge is to work with Related Ross and the community to bring a truly world-class school from the ground up as part of the site in Wellington,” said Jeff Clark, chair and CEO of ElevateED.
Clark expects to welcome 1,000 students from pre-K through grade nine to the campus in the fall of 2029. The school will use a curriculum designed specifically for Wingrove Academy rather than relying on existing well-known academic programs like International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement. With its own unique curriculum, the school is not looking to build an environment where students compete with each other but one that is focused on collaboration.
The school plans to eventually expand to 1,750 students with a full pre-K through grade 12 program. To ensure that Wingrove Academy is accessible to families, officials from ElevateED have created a $10 million scholarship fund specifically for Wellington residents who demonstrate financial need.
“I think one of the great opportunities here is not only to be an exceptional school for Wellington and the State of Florida, but also to be an example for the nation and abroad,” Clark said.
Outside of its retail and restaurant offerings, Village Landing will have 70,000 square feet of office space for local businesses and a 180-key residence-style hotel by Hilton.
Village Landing is located at 10400 Stribling Way in Wellington. To learn more, or to sign up for updates on the project, visit www.villagelandingwellington.com.
