Executives from the Related Companies acknowledge that building a $250 million private school next to a proposed mixed-use development in Wellington is new for them and not without risk, but they pitched village leaders that it makes sense.
At a Wellington Village Council workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 24, reactions ranged from interest to questions about whether the proposed 1,650-student school would cater primarily to pent-up local demand or beckon the scions of wealthy migrants from New York, Boston and other places.
“I’ve had residents specifically tell me that, while they don’t object to the concept of a private school, they don’t like the idea of Wellington being the school for the northeast migration, as opposed to the school for the population that’s already here,” Mayor Michael Napoleone said.
Both factors are part of the picture, said backers of the project aimed at the village-owned, 66-acre property known as K-Park.
“There’s certainly no priority for people coming down from the north,” said Fraser White, co-founder of Education in Motion, the group proposing the school in partnership with Related. “It’s just that for us, if you’re looking at the market demand, it supports what we think is the demand that’s already there.”
As for community access, White continued, “There will be tuition fees that are relatively high, but we have to make it available. Not everyone in this market can afford that, so we have pre-funded 20 scholarships a year.”
That would represent 1.2 percent of the proposed student population. White said that is an initial commitment and could expand over time.
High school tuition could top $40,000 annually, probably with amounts closer to half that for the very youngest kids, representatives said.
“The calling card that brought my family back, and many of my colleagues here, in large measure is Wellington public schools,” Vice Mayor John McGovern said. “Tell me how this doesn’t undercut that.”
White responded, “I don’t think there is any undercutting. You’ve got existing people in the Wellington community who are traveling a long way to go to school. So, we’re answering that need.”
Teacher development programs and prospective sharing of arts or sports facilities could enhance the overall educational environment, he argued.
In February, Related, led by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, proposed some 500 residential units and 120,000 square feet of retail space along with the then-unidentified school. Before elections brought two new members, the council at the time voted 3-2 to keep talking with Related, as opposed to other development offers. Developers led by the Ward family, who developed the nearby Trader Joe’s plaza, W&W VIII LLC, offered $54 million to buy K-Park last year.
The Related proposal is still in a conceptual stage and not yet a completed application seeking approval. The workshop was designed to air out ideas on what to do with the property that sits southwest of State Road 7 and Stribling Way. It has remained essentially vacant south of the Mall at Wellington Green despite more than a decade’s worth of ideas from botanical gardens to equestrian, housing and commercial projects.
Among the updates at the workshop was that all housing in this latest iteration of the project, now with about 550 units mentioned in the meeting, would be rental units, according to Related officials. Many would be townhomes and multi-bedroom units, connected by trails and green spaces to shops and restaurants, with touches not unlike what the company has employed elsewhere.
Wellington leaders acknowledged a need for housing for teachers, firefighters, police and others who want to find a place they can afford.
At the same time, “rental doesn’t usually mean long-term residents,” Councilwoman Tanya Siskind said. “I think it makes our residents very nervous to hear it’s all rental.”
The school would go on the western end of the property.
Combining a proposed commercial and residential development with a private school represents a new twist for Related, said Ken Himmel, president and chief executive of Related Urban, a mixed-use development division of the firm.
“Although this is our first journey in developing a school, it’s not our first journey in doing feasibility studies for very big, complex, high-risk projects,” Himmel said.
He said Related has relied on extensive research by consultants before advancing this plan.
Karen Yung, co-founder of Education in Motion with British lawyer White, said the pair created their enterprise in 2003 after seeking the best education they could for their own three children, then in Shanghai, China. That led to a school there that drew from elements of a British private school model.
She said the EIM venture has grown to 14 schools globally and is valued at about $1 billion. It educates more than 12,000 students, Yung said.
The pitch now is to invest more than $250 million in the Wellington school site, serving an eventual total capacity of 1,650 students.
Phase I would include 200,000 square feet devoted to 150 students in early childhood education through first grade, and middle and high schools serving 750 students.
Phase II, in subsequent years, would add another 150,000 square feet and additional students to round out a full pre-K through grade 12 offering.
Over the years, schools in the EIM system have arranged for online interactions or in-person visits with cultural entities such as the Royal Shakespeare Company in England, White said. Also, the idea is to have programs whereby students can spend time at affiliated schools in places such as Switzerland or Asia as part of their education.
White referred to the Wellington proposal as a “not-for-profit” school. He said he wants to open it by August 2027 if everything falls into place. Yung would move to Wellington to oversee it, and both would invest their personal funds in the project, he said.
Napoleone said that prior to discussions with another private school and then Education in Motion, “I don’t think anyone really thought about a school being put on the back half of K-Park.”
On the one hand, Wellington is a rare municipality that invests local funds in its 11 public schools and takes pride in them, he noted. On the other hand, people who do want a private-school alternative have to send their kids a long way to other places in the county, he said.
“From my standpoint, it’s an exciting concept and opportunity for us,” he said.
Siskind asked about opportunities to share amenities with others who are not paying customers. Videos and presentations portraying other EIM schools around the globe highlighted attractions such as a high-end performing arts center and athletic facilities.
“To be a heart of the community, you have to allow the community in,” White said. “Obviously, we’re going to put the needs of the students first, but as part of that program, we will be inviting in students and teachers from other schools.”
White said he did not anticipate boarding students at this point.
Councilwoman Maria Antuña asked how the school would attract teachers when that has been a problem at times already because of issues like housing affordability.
“If we’re drawing them from the school district, now that becomes a problem for the school district,” she said.
Teachers would be the top priority after attracting students and families, and they could represent a mix of international teachers and local hires, representatives for the school venture said.
As for attracting teachers, Himmel pointed to opportunities to incorporate affordable or workforce housing into this project or others in the area.
But is there really demand for 1,600 or more students at premium prices? Advocates for the plan say research indicates a backlog of about 2,000 people in the region who can’t get into existing private schools because they are full.
Also, they foresee a continued influx of people relocating from places like New York, Boston, Chicago and California, a migration that became pronounced during the pandemic.
Himmel cited the case of financial firm Goldman Sachs, which took office space in West Palm Beach but saw some executives with young families balk because they worried about educational capacity and opportunities. Many of those contemplating a move are used to private schools where they are now and seek that option before deciding on a move with their families.
“The research we’ve had, and supported by Related, is that a lot of families are not moving to Florida or Palm Beach, because the schools are full or it doesn’t have the quality of schools we’re offering,” White said.
Village Manager Jim Barnes said he heard enough consensus to continue with negotiations on a purchase and sale agreement with Related and its partners. Council members took no vote on that during the workshop, though more than one expressed a desire for a meeting to let members of the public weigh-in on this topic.
“Hopefully, we’ll sit here in five years’ time, and you’ll say, well, we got it right,” White said.
In other business:
- Meeting Thursday, Sept. 19, the council invoked a moment of silence to honor two people who recently died. One was Cynthia Gardner, 71, who died Sept. 16 from injuries sustained in a traffic accident. She served on several village boards and was a passionate champion of the equestrian community, Napoleone said. Also recognized was Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto, 73, who died Sept. 14. Napoleone called him a “20-year council member as our neighbor and a tremendous public servant.”
- The council unanimously approved a resolution recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month, and the occasion arrived with an additional honor that came as a surprise to its recipient. Palm Beach County Commissioner Sara Baxter announced a proclamation for Sept. 19, 2024, to be known as Maria Antuña Day, honoring the village’s first Hispanic council member. Baxter highlighted Antuña’s decades of leadership, including service as chief executive officer of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County. “It’s a moment I’m not ever going to forget, and I’m going to treasure in my heart forever,” Antuña said.
- By another unanimous vote, the council gave final passage to a $148 million village budget for the new fiscal year starting Oct. 1, $10 million more than the previous year. Rising revenues come primarily from increasing home values subject to property taxes, though the tax rate itself remains unchanged, and increases in village-run utility rates to cover improvements in water and wastewater systems. An interactive map that is planned for the rotator at the top of the village’s web site will provide information on spending for various projects, officials said.
