After a three-hour debate, the Wellington Village Council approved site plan changes Tuesday for the Equestrian Village site after removing several staff-recommended conditions, including a provision for a future left-turn lane into the site from Pierson Road and a requirement to pave current grass parking on the site.
Planning & Development Services Director Tim Stillings said there were five different areas of the site plan that had small modifications.
Applicant Equestrian Sport Productions had requested changes to the site plan for the project at the northeast corner of South Shore Blvd. and Pierson Road, including the addition of a paved 20-foot access connecting parking lots.
Another change was the addition of riding academy paddocks that had been installed and permitted previously. A third change was the inclusion of a maintenance and storage area with appropriate landscape screening.
Other changes were the addition of a 400-square-foot administrative office and a location switch for manure bins, the horse wash and restrooms, which had been depicted incorrectly in the original conceptual plan.
Stillings added that a recommendation for a 5-foot opaque fence along the eastern border had been removed because a line of areca palms had grown in sufficiently to serve as screening from homes to the east.
Staff’s recommendation for approval included 11 conditions, among them a deadline for construction of the northern roadway of Dec. 31, and requirements to pave all the drive aprons between the paved road and any parking area and arena, to permit grassed parking in an identified area with conditions, to pave all parking on the south side of the property along Pierson Road and to construct a roadway section to accommodate a future left-turn lane from Pierson Road into the site with a raised curb to prohibit use until later approved.
Vice Mayor John Greene questioned the left-turn-lane provision, which the council had rejected previously. “One thing that I want to be very cautious of is not having the same debate over and over again,” Greene said. “Last October, this council was very clear as far as what conditions and what we approved in a 4-1 vote. Why are some of these items — that we debated, we took public discussion, we heard from all interested parties, we discussed them on council, we voted — coming back tonight?”
Stillings said the left-turn lane was conditioned as a monitoring requirement so that if there is a future need, there would be no need to disrupt the roadway, and that the village engineer and traffic consultant had discussed it in depth.
Village Engineer Bill Riebe said traffic counts had been done last season and that it would be better to get it done now rather than have future disruption. “We’re not advocating a turn lane now,” Riebe said. “What we’re saying is let’s build a typical section if in the future it is ever needed.”
Greene repeated that it had already been decided that there would be no turn lane.
“We gave clear direction to staff, and it’s a little frustrating when things come back before us again that we’ve already discussed, and we’re put in a position of not being cooperative,” Greene said.
Riebe said the road is constructed as a three-lane section and having a median would provide additional landscaping.
“We have not advocated that it be a turn lane,” he said. “It can be a raised median, as you see in some other intersections. It’s just there, should there be a need.”
Councilman Matt Willhite said he felt they were rehashing something that the council already denied.
“I’m interpreting that you’re showing a left-turn lane on the site plan,” he said, adding that he felt something should be done about the horse crossing that was at that site.
Councilman Howard Coates agreed that the council had spent a lot of time going over the plan.
“I’m not inclined to have this devolve into the debate that we had almost a year ago,” Coates said. “To me, there is no restriction on a left-turn lane into the facility.”
Coates said he favored a left-turn lane, but people had opposed expanding the road, and pointed out that the council had specifically taken it out.
Councilwoman Anne Gerwig said she did not see the need for paving parking areas on the south end, which she thought were in good condition.
Riebe said it had always been anticipated to pave the spaces. “Those spaces are used every day in the equestrian season,” he said. “The site could eventually be used year-round.”
Engineer Mike Sexton, representing Wellington Equestrian Partners, said they thought the lawn parking requirements with gravel aisles were too specific and asked that the all-grass parking continue, adding that they had gotten engineering studies showing that grass parking would support the intensity of use. “We believe the grass parking works exceptionally well,” Sexton said.
Alice Miller of Polo Island Drive asked that the opaque fence be kept on the east border of the property next to the barns, in addition to the areca palms, to help screen noise and automobile lights.
Coates made a motion to approve the resolution with conditions that the applicant’s circulation plan be attached as part of the approval, that the solid opaque fence again be a requirement, to approve the grass parking plan presented by the applicant as an alternate to paving, to remove the requirement for paved parking along the south edge for at least the next year and to remove the requirement of the roadway segment to accommodate a future left-turn lane. The motion carried unanimously, 5-0.
Honestly, Wellington will be better off when all of the current council members are gone.
There is such immaturity on this Council. Only one Council member is circumspect and limits his comments to the matters at hand. He just can’t control the meetings which are totally in his hands!
One tires of the childish interruptions of Gerwig at meetings, Willhite’s negative tone to staff and Greene’s sometimes puzzling comments.
Too many Council members react with emotion instead of facts. They bicker like children or high schoolers. Still can recall Gerwig bleating out at a Council meeting that there were rumors she was sleeping with Bellissimo! Geesh, come on! (And stop naming the roundabout on Paddock Drive, as “Gerwig Circle”!) Act like an adult and a professional!
Also, glad to know that Wellington residents funded the beachfront hotel for Council members at the League Meeting! Apparently, the Village has money to burn! So, Increase our taxes, Increase Your salaries, Keep diluting the standards in Wellington and adding more transient rental properties to Wellington!
And, the rundown multifamily areas, sure go ahead and allow unsightly commercial vehicles to be parked in the rental areas. (The is staff assurring everyone that more high wage earners will move in if commercial vehicles can be parked in the driveways! Yeah, just like all the police officers, teachers, firefighters were knocking each over to buy the townhomes Wellington bought and refurbished!) These multifamily areas are troublesome and unsightly-constant unwanted furniture thrown out on the swales, garbage cans at the street and now commercial vehicles bringing down the appearance even more.
They all need to go!
The hypocracy of Greene and Wilhite complainting that they’re rehearing something already decided by Council when they are the ones who tried to revoke the entire project approval,which had already been approved by a previous Coincil and built. Apparently it’s only bad to rehear when your puppet masters oppose the change.
Heaven forbid the Village should prepare today for a need tomorrow. Their agenda is so anti-Bellissimo, they would rather forgo a safe turn lane than give in to something WEP and staff agree would after safety for all.
When is the next election so we can vote these anti-equestrain clowns out of office?